Sermon from May, 19, 2024 by Rev. Brett Gudeman
“We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:22-27
Today, we are beginning a new sermon series, Theology 101. We will be looking at key theological concepts and doctrines that shape our faith and define who we are. Theology is a word that can feel intimidating, like it’s the work of scholars or pastors or just people other than me, but every time you all enter into thinking about God, or have a conversation about God, you are engaging in theological thought. You are becoming a theologian.
The etymology of the word theology is broken down simply— Theo comes from the Greek theos, which means “God,” and logy- comes from the Greek word logos which means to speak, or to think, to know. So, thoughts of God, speaking about God, is theology. Paul Tillich, a highly influential theologian of the 20th c said, 'Theology moves back and forth between two poles, the eternal truth of its foundation and the temporal situation in which the eternal truth must be received.’ What this means is, as we think and talk about God we are relating the foundational truths of God that we hold through Scripture and tradition and interpreting them in light of the reality we experience in our everyday lives. So, what I mean to say, is all of you are theologians, you have all thought and talked about God, relating God to your life.
In our life and the life of the church, today, is a very important day— Pentecost. Pentecost is when we celebrate that moment in the early church when the Spirit of God reigned down upon new believers and empowered them to spread the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus Christ, in the world. Kathy Gilmore, or wonderful CE Director, always calls it: “the Church’s birthday.” So, on this Pentecost Sunday, our theological topic is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the third part of the Trinity, and our understanding of who God is.
When we think about the Trinity— God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, of those three, the Holy Spirit generally gets the short end of the stick, especially in Presbyterian churches, we have a firm hold on Jesus- he was a literal historical figure and the crux of our faith and history. God the father, or God the creator, is easy to handle because we look out and see all of creation, the intricacies of nature, the vastness of space, the beauty of a sunrise, the peace of a lake, and we grasp God. But the Holy Spirit… what are we to do with that? How are we to understand something that feels less concrete and more of a wisp?
Well, to neglect the Spirit is to neglect our spiritual lives, to ignore the Spirit is to not fully grow into who we are called to be as people of faith, to not meditate and understand who the Spirit is, is to not be empowered and comforted and known by God. The Spirit is present all throughout Scripture, from the beginning, literally in genesis during creation, the Spirit of God hovers upon the waters. Throughout the prophets of the Old Testament, the Spirit of God descends upon them and they prophesize and are emboldened to proclaim God’s message of justice and love.
In the New Testament, we get a glimpse of true theological work. Because, we know many of the books of the New Testament were written by different people, so different books capture different aspects of the Holy Spirit based on the experience of the community.In Mark the Spirit shows up at significant moments Jesus’s ministry, such as his own baptism (v. 10), or his constant conflict with unclean spirits (3:11; 5:12; 6:7; 7:25; 9:25). All throughout Jesus’s ministry there are exorcisms and demonic forces or evil that Jesus, through the power of the Spirit cleanses and heals. In Luke, the Spirit moves all throughout the life of Jesus, from his conception to his ministry in Jerusalem to the promise of the Spirit’s presence as the helper after Jesus has died and resurrected. The Gospel of John speaks of the Spirit as an advocate, a counselor, and a comforter. The Spirit’s functions are copied from those of Jesus: developing Jesus’ teaching to meet new situations. The Spirit continues to show up in Acts and the letters of the New Testament, creating new acts of love through followers of Christ. Finally, we have the letters and the epistles that continue to expound upon the work of the Holy Spirit.
Our text is from Romans, which is the Apostle Paul’s most rich work. Almost all his other letters were riddled with helping churches deal with problems, but to the church in Rome, Paul lays out his theological thought, which I will summarize in this sentence: There is difficulty and brokenness in the world, but God’s grace through Jesus Christ works in the world through the Spirit and followers of Christ. The Spirit is so important in overcoming the groans of creation, the deep primal yearning we have not to suffer. And the Spirit gives us the endurance to overcome it.
Every other year, I teach the confirmation class, where the most impressive kids you have ever met learn about practical parts of faith, as well as the spiritual. And one of my favorite classes is one we do about halfway through the class where both confirmands and their mentors attend. I ask them to do an exercise, which I encourage all of you to do some time. They write down What I believe about God the Father is… what I believe about Jesus Christ is… what I believe about the Holy Spirit is… what I believe about the church is… So, they reflect upon their understanding of the Trinity, but also how the Trinity works in the world. After adults and students have time to ponder and to write, we make a list of what we believe, but we also discuss which of those four I believe statements was easiest to write about, and which was the most difficult.
And, without fail, the students almost always have the easiest time writing about the Spirit, and the adults have the most difficult time writing about the Spirit. And then we explore why that may be. And the students, these 8th and 9th graders, vulnerably shared about how they know what it means to feel alone, to feel insecure, but they also have known God to be real in those moments, the Holy Spirit is present, comforting us, holding us, advocating for us. That is faith in the Holy Spirit. That experience of God is an experience of the Holy Spirit.
In Hebrew, which is what the Old Testement is written in, the word for Spirit is Ruach which means, breath, wind, or spirit, likewise the Greek word for spirit is pneuma which means breath, blow, spirit, movement, wind. So, the Spirit is God’s breath in the world, the Spirit is God’s movement in the world. The Holy Spirit in our lives, as described by Scripture, and affirmed by experiences of Christians over thousands of years is summarized most basically as the foundation for a fruitful and whole life. The Spirit gives us the breath of God, literal life. In a world full of darkness and sin and death… the Spirit leads us toward life. The Spirit comforts us when we are in times of stress and discomfort. The Spirit convicts us when we choose the things in our life that lead us toward death— selfishness, anger, self deceit. The Spirit reminds us of who we are as Beloved children of God. The Spirit emboldens and empowers us to do the will of God even if the mountain seems insurmountable. The Spirit advocates for us, reminding us to choose grace of judgement to receive mercy over self doubt. The Spirit is God’s presence blowing through our lives and our hearts drawing us out of darkness and bringing us toward light. So I encourage you church to leave this building being theologians. Theologians who ponder and think about the Holy Spirit. Be theologians who speak about the Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives— drawing us toward life and out of darkness and death. Be theologians who tell and share with others about how we have had experiences of comfort and power as gifts from the Holy Spirit. Church, go out and know the Holy Spirit, because the Spirit is renewing, redeeming, comforting, and holding your hearts over and over again.