|
Sermon title: Trinity — Part Three.
Call to worship:
I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that he may abide with you forever.
John 14:16 NKJV
Well come on this beautiful day, a day that the Lord has made!
Jesus spoke these words to His disciples as He continued to prepare them for His departure of this world. The “Helper” is the third part of the Trinity - The Holy Spirit!
Let us pray a traditional Native American prayer: “O Great Spirit, whose breath gives life to the world, and whose voice is heard in the soft breeze: We need your strength and wisdom. Cause us to walk in beauty. Give us eyes ever to behold the red and purple sunset. Make us wise so that we may understand what you have taught us. Help us learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. Make us always ready to come to you with clean hands and steady eyes, so when life fades, like the fading sunset, our spirit may come to you without shame. Amen.”
John 14: 15-21 NKJV shares Jesus’ words encouraging and directing His disciples. Words that we need to read to remind ourselves that we are not alone; we are not orphans (v. 18). THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR COMFORTER, HELPER, COUNSELOR, AND BATTLE-PARTNER. The Greek word for the Holy Spirit—“parakletos”—means all those things. The Holy Spirit is God in the present tense. Through the Holy Spirit, God is able to be in millions of places simultaneously, comforting, helping, counseling, strengthening, and defending. That Greek word “parakletos” actually comes from a military context. In ancient times, Greek soldiers went into battle in pairs, so that each soldier would have a partner helping him and protecting his back side. His battle partner was his “parakletos.” I like to think of the Holy Spirit as my “battle partner.” The Holy Spirit is our alarm system, setting off warning bells when the evil one attacks our hearts and minds.
The Holy Spirit keeps us under conviction, not only our actions but our thoughts and our words. There is an old rural saying that goes like this: “You can’t get the water cleared up ‘till you get the hogs out of the creek.” Neither can you make any progress toward holiness until you first admit your guilt and repent. The Apostle Paul declared that the Holy Spirit “searches everything.” (I Corinthians 2:10b CEB). Maybe we wish that the Spirit wasn’t quite so nosy, but it’s for our own good.
“Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house . . .” - Acts 2: 2 NKJV. In the Hebrew language, the word for wind and spirit is the same—“Ruach.” That mighty wind of the Spirit blew away the disciples’ fear and uncertainty. Then they seemed to inhale confidence and boldness. That same confidence and boldness is available to you and me today through the Holy Spirit. We believe in God the Father Almighty creator of heaven and earth. We believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord and Savior. We believe in the Holy Spirit as the Divine presence in our lives whereby we are kept in perpetual remembrance of the truth of Christ and find strength and help in time of need. In the life of a Christian if there is no wind of the Spirit, nothing of significance happens. Please commit with me that we will be wide open to as much of that mighty wind of the Spirit as God is willing to give, and to Him be the glory.
As Christians we believe God to be best described as a Trinity.
Pray this Kiowa prayer with me: “Great Spirit, now I pray to you, I pray now to you, Great Spirit, hear me; my soul is weary, now I pray that your spirit will dwell in me.”
Let it be so — Amen.
Pastor Dorothy Hotchkiss of Webster’s Crossing UMC and Groveland Federated Parish.
dhotch2@frontiernet.net 585/406-7030 cell/text
|