The Holy Spirit—the Gift that Keeps Giving

Pentecost Sunday, 5/23/21 John 14:25-27 The Holy Spirit—the Gift that Keeps Giving I. He gives you divine enlightenment. II. He gives you divine peace. “It’s the gift that keep on giving.” I’m guessing that you’ve heard that advertising slogan at least once in your life. In fact, it’s been used many times especially for advertising gifts for Christmas, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. That slogan actually has quite a history. According to one web site it goes back 100 years—to the 1920s. It seems as if ads for the Victor Radio were the first to use it. Here’s a sample: “When you go to your Victor Dealer to hear the three models of Victor-Radio, you will find them beautiful, compact, and soundly built, as become Victor instruments. You will recognize them as the gift that keeps on giving...a royal gift...at a very low price!” I don’t think I ever considered a radio to be a gift that keeps on giving. But, if that ad convinced anyone that a radio had that ability, I’m sure it would compel the listener to at least consider purchasing one. Today the Christian Church on earth is celebrating the Festival of Pentecost, the day on which the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers as Jesus had promised would happen before he ascended into heaven. In fact, he instructed his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for that very event to occur. He referred to it as “the gift of the Holy Spirit.” And once the believers received that gift, the world was changed forever. In short order, the good news about Jesus—crucified, risen, and ascended—spread like wild-fire throughout the known world. And it still continues today. The gospel of Jesus is being proclaimed to the far corners of the earth. Jesus spoke about that gift on the night before he was crucified. We have his words from that night before us. He promised to give his followers the gift of the Holy Spirit and that gift is still giving 2,000 years later. What a gift! And the Holy Spirit has been given to you! As Jesus explains, he’s the gift that keeps giving. May the Holy Spirit himself show us what that means as we ponder our Lord’s words to us this morning. Part I. What’s safe…for me? For my children? What should I do? How should I respond if I think others aren’t being safe? How should I respond if someone tells me I’m not being safe? How close can I get? Is it OK to shake someone’s hand? Give them a hug? If you’ve been asking yourself those questions lately, you’re not alone. Millions of Americans are asking them with you as we come out of the COVID pandemic restrictions. And not knowing the answers causes a good amount of anxiety. We want to have solid information that we can trust, and we want others to have that same information. We just don’t know right now how we should proceed. Experts are telling us that’s going to continue for some time, but things will gradually get better as time moves on. I hope they’re right, but I’m not sure. Our questions and the anxiety we’re experiencing pale in comparison to what they disciples experienced as Jesus spoke these words on the night before his death. He had repeatedly told them that he was going to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and rise again, but they didn’t want to hear about it or believe it would happen. He had just told them one of them would betray him and they all wondered who it could be. They would watch him as he gave himself up to his enemies who would eventually succeed in crucifying him. He would rise again, but they would still be filled with fear. And had also told them he would ascend into heaven. They weren’t looking for any of those things to occur and they didn’t fully understand what any of them were about. In fact, right up until he ascended into heaven, they were still asking him if he was now going to establish his glorious kingdom on earth. They were hoping to be his privileged citizens in that kingdom. We know that never happened. In a way, their hopes were dashed. And yet Jesus had told them he was still going to send them out into the world. They would be his witnesses in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. How were they supposed to do that? Who should go where and when? What message should they share? How could they hope to be successful? Listen to Jesus reassure them. “All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” We live in a world in which people can record the video and audio of what is happening just about anywhere in the world. There it is. This is what happened, and this is what was said. I imagine that if Jesus had done his ministry in 2021 with his disciples right there with him, they would have recorded what he said and did every day of his ministry. Imagine watching footage of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead! But the disciples didn’t have that advantage. So, Jesus gave them something far better. He gave them his Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit reminded them of everything Jesus said and did. But he did more than that. He caused them to believe what they had seen and heard. He caused them to see the significance of what they had seen and heard. He empowered them to share what they had seen and heard. In other words, he enlightened them. And he has done the same for you and me. The Holy Spirit has brought you to faith in Jesus as your Savior. He has caused you to see the blessings that Jesus won for you—forgiveness, new life, and salvation. And he empowers you daily to live your life as a child of God and to share the good news about Jesus with others. The Holy Spirit is the gift that keeps giving—he gives you divine enlightenment. Part II. Have you ever received a gift that you didn’t appreciate? You didn’t want it and you couldn’t use it. That gift not only never gave you any pleasure, it also didn’t keep on giving. Do you realize what God’s gift of the Holy Spirit to you is? Without him you wouldn’t be a Christian. You wouldn’t be here today worshipping Jesus as your Savior. You would be living in spiritual darkness without even realizing it. In a spiritual way, it would be as if you had terminal cancer but were undiagnosed. Spiritually unaware, you would be whistling on your merry way to hell. But, by the grace of God, you know and believe that Jesus is your Savior. You know that you have the forgiveness of sins, that you are a dear child of God, and that heaven is your home, guaranteed. Those are gifts that Jesus won for you and only the Holy Spirit can give them to you. You know that. You’re enlightened. But how do you respond? What difference does it make for you each day that you have been enlightened by the Holy Spirit? Instead of making a difference in your life, do you battle with indifference, as if your Christian faith mattered little to you? We’re all prone to that spiritual malady, sad to say. The good news is that the Holy Spirit has brought us forgiveness for our indifference as well as forgiveness for every other sin. He keeps us in the faith using his word and the sacrament, and he continues to enlighten us with his word every time we hear it. Cherish those opportunities! Cherish the gift of the Holy Spirit because he keeps on giving! So far, so good. A few days ago, a cease-fire agreement was reached between Israel and Hamas. I have heard of no protests or riots occurring in our country. The greater Miami Valley area is enjoying relative peace as well. But for how long? You know it won’t last. We’re just waiting for the next disaster to bring a violent end to the relative peace we’re enjoying now. Praise God that the peace we receive from the Holy Spirit is far different! Listen to Jesus describe it, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” When Jesus appeared to his fear-filled disciples on Easter, he greeted them with the word “peace.” He wanted them to be certain that he had nothing against them for the way they had deserted him in his hour of need. His death on the cross paid for their sins, all of them. They had peace with God. And on Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out on the believers so that they could share that peace with the world, with each sinful person. Jesus had won that peace with his death and guaranteed it with his resurrection. No one and nothing can disturb or remove that peace. That peace is yours by faith in Jesus. It fills your hearts and minds each day of your life. The Holy Spirit gave you that peace when he brought you to faith and he keeps giving it to you every day of your life. The Holy Spirit—the gift that keeps giving. He gives you divine peace. And yet, our hearts are troubled. We are afraid. Even though Jesus told us not to be. We’re afraid of what might happen in our world, what might happen to us, to our loved ones. We can’t see how things will turn out in our lives. But Jesus can. Jesus does. And so, he sends us his Holy Spirit each day to give us the peace that the world can’t give. You live each day surrounded by the loving arms of your Savior. The Holy Spirit’s greatest desire is to give you that peace. Pray to him for it. Then praise him for bringing it to you. The Holy Spirit—the gift that keeps giving. Cherish him! Amen.