Great Gifts, Great Responsibilities

Great Gifts, Great Responsibilities

John 15:26-27[1]

I’ve mentioned before that I have a reason for the things I say every week in worship. I’m sure most of you are aware that I begin every sermon with the prayer, “Holy Spirit, breath of the living God, renew us all, along with your whole creation.” What you may not know is the reason why I do that. There are a couple of them. First, that kind of prayer is called a “bidding prayer.” I’m asking God to be among us, to help me speak words that will be helpful to you, and to use those words to inspire us all to find new ways of following Christ in our daily lives. I recognize that I’m just a man, and that the only way anything I say can make a difference in your life is for God to use my words by his Spirit working in your heart.

That’s the practical reason. As you may suspect, there is also a theological reason for my prayer. You may have noticed that I frame every sermon with a reference to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I open my sermon with a prayer asking the Spirit to continue to carry out his work of renewing all things among us. I humbly conclude my sermons “in the name of Jesus the Christ our Savior and Lord.” Again, that’s a kind of prayer, that the risen Christ who lives among us would take my fallible words and use them to speak his word to you all. Finally, I conclude my sermon with a prayer asking God the Father to continue bringing his kingdom of peace, justice, and freedom in our lives and through us into the lives of others.

On this Pentecost Sunday, I want to focus on the part about the Holy Spirit. We celebrate Pentecost to remember that, just as the Spirit of God breathed life into God’s human creatures in the beginning, it was on the day of Pentecost that the Spirit of God breathed life into the early church, enabling them to do amazing things, and to bear witness to all that Jesus had done for them and meant to them. It was an amazing transformation, because before that day, we find the first Christians typically gathered behind locked doors out of fear of being caught and arrested. But when the Spirit came upon them, they seemed to lose their fear and became bold witnesses to Jesus Christ.

This is precisely what Jesus says the Spirit would do for the disciples according to John’s Gospel. In our lesson for today, Jesus promises that the Spirit would bear witness to him, and that would enable them to bear witness as well. Our lesson from the Good News Translation puts it this way: “The Helper will come—the Spirit, who reveals the truth about God and who comes from the Father. I will send him to you from the Father, and he will speak about me. And you, too, will speak about me” (Jn. 15:26-27). The Spirit comes to enable Jesus’ disciples to carry on the work the Father had sent him to do.

That follows a pattern in John’s Gospel. Jesus said that he was only doing and saying what God had sent him to do and say. In that same way, Jesus sent the Spirit “from the Father” to his disciples to help them  understand of all that Jesus had done and taught. And the Spirit would in turn send them to continue the work Jesus began. That’s the pattern: Jesus did the work God sent him to do, and they were sent to do the same work (Jn. 14:12). Just as Jesus taught what God had given him to teach, so the Spirit would continue to teach them. And in turn they would teach others (Jn. 16:13). And the whole point is to continue the work of sharing the good news of God’s love for all people in Jesus Christ.[2]

In some ways, this is about our task. We’re called to follow Jesus, and following Jesus means being sent into the world to share God’s love. But in some ways, it’s about who God is. The fact that God sent his son Jesus Christ into the world as a demonstration of his love for us makes it clear that God’s very being from all eternity was one of love reaching out.[3] We see it in creation. We see it in God’s dealings with Abraham and his family. We see it in the life of Jesus. And we see that same essential love in the sending of the Spirit to us. The Spirit not only teaches us, but also enables us to continue the work of sharing God’s love.[4]

As I’ve mentioned before, President John F. Kennedy was known for something he said right before he officially took office: “For of those to whom much is given, much is required.”[5] Of course the original form of this was spoken by Jesus: “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required” (Lk. 12:48). It’s a statement that Jesus made about the importance of faithfully carrying out our calling. I like the way the Contemporary English Version puts it: “If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well. But if he has been more than generous, he will expect you to serve him even better.” I like The Message translation even more: “Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!”

We live in a time when there is so much talk about privilege and rights. Many of us think primarily about what is “due” to us by right, and we set about seeking to claim that. But Jesus was one who set aside his privileges and rights to serve others. Just as he was sent to carry out God’s work in this world, so also all of us have been sent. More than that we’ve been given great gifts. And the greatest gift is the Spirit, who leads us and empowers us to use our gifts in the service of others.

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[1] © 2024 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, PhD on 5/19/2024 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics, 1.1, 455: “The Holy Spirit is the authorization [sic] to speak about Christ; He is the equipment of the prophet and apostle; He is the summons to the Church to minister the Word.”

[3] Jürgen Moltmann, The Church in the Power of the Spirit, 56 “A Christian doctrine of the Trinity which is bound to the history of Christ and the history of the Spirit must conceive the Trinity as the Trinity of the sending and seeking love of God which is open from its very origin. The triune God is the God who is open to man, open to the world and open to time.”

[4] Henri Nouwen, Reaching Out: Three Movements in the Spiritual Life, 125: “In Jesus Christ, God has entered our lives in the most intimate way, so that we could enter into his life through the Spirit. … By giving us his Spirit, his breath, he became closer to us than we are to ourselves. … Praying in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, therefore, means participating in the intimate life of God himself. … We receive a new breath, a new freedom, a new life. This new life is the divine life of God himself.”

[5] John F. Kennedy, “Address to a Joint Convention of the General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” January 9, 1961. Accessed at https://www.jfklibrary.org/archives/other-resources/john-f-kennedy-speeches/massachusetts-general-court-19610109 .

One Whole Body

 One Whole Body

1 Corinthians 12:4-14, 24[1]

Today is the day that we celebrate the birth of the church. All those centuries ago, on the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God swept through the group of Jesus’ disciples, empowering them to become bold witnesses for Christ. And the book of Acts tells the story of how they went out in the power of the Spirit to do unimaginable things in the name of the Lord Jesus. As they proclaimed the good news of Jesus Christ to any and all who would listen, thousands responded. And what began in a backwater corner of the Roman Empire became a thriving movement. The power of the Spirit working through the church of that day would eventually change their whole world, including the Middle East, Africa, and Europe.

When we look at our churches today, it may seem like a stretch to think that the same Spirit is still working in and through us. Churches that were filled with people 50 years ago are now partly, or mostly, or in some cases completely empty.[2] When you look around, you might be forgiven for wondering whether the Spirit who we say we believe empowers us “to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior, and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace” has passed us by.[3] Although the Church is thriving in other places around the world, in this country it’s a very difficult time to be the church!

While there are a lot of people saying a lot of things in about what churches “need” to do to thrive, I would say the place to start is with our own hearts. I’ve said before it is my firm conviction that only as we carry out our work in the power the Spirit supplies can we hope to achieve any lasting results. That applies to this and every other church. It’s one of the foundational themes of the NT. Everything we do in our Christian lives is the result of what the Spirit of God is doing. Everything we do, from praying, to worshipping, to planting seeds of faith, to growing in service to God, to living lives of kindness and respect, to sharing the love of God, will thrive or not thrive to the extent that we rely on the Spirit of God.[4]

That’s why we have to start with our own hearts. It’s not going to be enough for us to work hard for the sake of the church. That still presupposes that whether or not this church thrives is in our hands. But as St. Paul once confessed, “In ourselves we are not able to claim anything for ourselves. The power to do what we do comes from God” (2 Cor 3:5, NIrV). If that was true for Paul, how much more is it true for us. We start by recognizing that none of us can “make” this church thrive by our own efforts. We must look to God diligently, consistently, faithfully, and sincerely to pour out the Spirit in and through us if we hope that what we do will have any lasting results.

In our Scripture lesson from 1 Corinthians, St. Paul says it this way: “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us” (1 Cor 12:4-6). Jesus promised, “I will build my church” (Mt 16:18), and the way he’s been doing that is through the presence and power of the Spirit working in the church. I believe we can trust that Jesus will keep his promise. I believe we can trust that the Spirit will continue working in and through us all. And I believe God will continue to supply us with what we need to carry out the ministry of the kingdom in this community.

With that in mind, we might wonder what we can do. Well, first and foremost, we can pray. Let me be clear about this: we don’t pray because it’s some kind of “magic wand” that will “miraculously” turn things around. We pray because that’s how we open our hearts to the work of God’s Spirit and align our lives with God’s kingdom. I invite you to join me in praying that God will pour out his Spirit and empower us to carry out his work in this community. I’ve been doing that since I came here. And one of the times I pray that prayer is on Sunday morning during worship. All I do is ask God to pour out his Spirit to help us thrive and to bring us the people we need to help us. Please join me in that prayer!

But St. Paul also knew that there was another dimension to a thriving church. He said it this way: “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other” (1 Cor 12:7, NLT). Many of us probably don’t agree with that statement. We think that if anyone has a “spiritual gift” that can benefit the church, it must be someone else. But St. Paul makes it clear in this passage that he believes that the Spirit of God works through every part of the body of Christ. That means that there’s no one who’s contribution is “dispensable.” For this or any other church to thrive, it takes every one doing what God enables us to do. We can’t sit back and expect someone else to do it for us. It’s going to take all of us working together as one whole body of Christ if we want to thrive as a church.

Whether we see this time in which we’re all working so hard to live faithfully as the body of Christ as a crisis or an opportunity depends on our point of view. We can lament that our churches are nowhere near as full as they were ten or twenty or thirty years ago. And if we take that approach, we will likely continue to watch the church decline. Or we can take the opportunity to step up. Each and every one of us. I believe that if Christians in this culture truly opened their hearts to God’s Spirit and truly aligned their lives with God’s kingdom, it would revolutionize the church. It would revolutionize our world! I believe that if Christians in this culture would embrace the promise that the Spirit has given each and every one of us gifts to help the church thrive, we couldn’t contain all the people in our buildings. If that’s what we want to see, it’s going to take all of us working together as one whole body of Christ.

I realize that all this may sound too simple to make much of a difference. But in my experience, a simple shift in mindset is one of the most powerful ways to effect change. That’s what I’m asking you to do today. I’m asking you to shift your mindset and trust in the power of God to build up this church. We don’t have the power in ourselves to do what needs to be done for this church to thrive. Only God can do that. But God has always accomplished his work in through people like you and me. And that means we’re all called to step up. If we keep doing what we’ve always done, we’ll keep getting the same results. I’m asking you to step up in a new way. Pray for the people of this church. Reach out to ask someone you know how they’re doing. When the people of God open their hearts to the Spirit of God in prayer and turn to God by aligning their lives with the kingdom, great changes can happen. And not just in this community, but throughout the whole body of Christ. Let’s join together as one whole body of Christ to do unimaginable things in our time through the Spirit of God!

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[1] © 2023 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm PhD on 5/28/2023 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Yonat Shimron, “Study: More Churches Closing than Opening,” Religion News Service 21 May 2021, accessed at: https://religionnews.com/2021/05/26/study-more-churches-closing-than-opening/. The report suggests that in 2019 about 4500 protestant churches closed, while only 3000 were started. This compares with 2014, when there were 3700 closures, but 4000 openings. For reference, there are about 320,000 to 350,000 protestant churches in the US.

[3] The Book of Confessions 2016, “A Brief Statement of Faith,” 11.4, p. 312.

[4] Cf. Henri J. M. Nouwen, A Cry for Mercy, 109: “The Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised to his followers, is the great gift of God. Without the Spirit of Jesus we can do nothing, but in and through his Spirit we can live free, joyful, and courageous lives. We cannot pray, but the Spirit of Christ can pray in us. We cannot crete peace and joy, but the Spirit of Christ can fill us with a peace and joy that is not of this world. We cannot break through the many barriers that divide races, sexes, and nations, but the Spirit of Christ unites all people in the all-embracing love of God. The Spirit of Christ burns away our many fears and anxieties and sets us free to move wherever we are sent. This is the great liberation of Pentecost.”

Empowered

 Empowered

John 14:1-21, 25-27[1]

In some ways, our world has gotten much smaller than it was when many of us were children. Today we can know instantly what is happening anywhere in the country, and all over the world. But at the same time, I would say this means that our world has gotten much bigger. Growing up in a small town in Texas, our concerns were fairly limited to our family, our friends, our church, and our town. We had the news for “bigger” matters, but there was no 24-hour news channel, and “breaking events” wasn’t even a thing. Now, we have instant access to major events happening all over the world. Our world has gotten a lot bigger.

For many of us, this can leave us feeling overwhelmed. There are so many serious problems in our world coming at us every day. I think it can lead to a kind of “information overload.” We hear about so many troubling things in our world that we may wonder what any of us can do about them. This great big world of ours with so many crises happening so fast may convince us that we’re too weak, too small, too helpless in the face of it all to make a difference. But now, as always, I think we make the biggest difference when we can step away from the great big world and focus on the people in our lives each day. I would say that’s where we have a chance to do something meaningful in our world.

Our gospel lesson for today relates to this feeling of helplessness. This week, we’re returning to a chapter we talked about recently. As I mentioned at that time, in this whole section of John’s Gospel, Jesus was preparing his disciples for the fact that very soon he was no longer going to be with them. He knew that his “hour” was at hand, and he told them in a variety of ways that he was going to be leaving them and returning to the Father. I mentioned previously that the disciples were confused by all of this, but I think we can say that they were also upset about it. There’s an edge to what Thomas said to Jesus: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (Jn 14:5).

That’s why Jesus started this chapter with words of assurance: “Do not let your hearts be troubled” (Jn 14:1). The reason for this was that he was about to tell them that he would be leaving them, and he knew it would upset them. Despite all appearances, Jesus promised them that “I will not leave you orphaned” (Jn 14:18). He wanted them to know that they would not be left on their own to carry on without him. Finally, he said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). All of this was meant to address their sadness and fear over his leaving.

We talked a couple of weeks ago about how this  would relate to their potential feelings of abandonment. But I think there’s more to it than that. I think Jesus also wanted to help them understand that they would not be left to their own efforts to carry on the work he had begun and that he commissioned them to take up. In the first place, they would be empowered to carry out that work because of their relationship with Jesus and the Father. He promised them that when they saw him again, they would know that “I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (Jn 14:20). Jesus promised his disciples that they would be embraced into the relationship of love that Jesus and the Father have shared from all eternity in order to empower them to carry out their work.

More than that, Jesus also promised that he would send them “the Spirit of Truth” to help them with their task. The Holy Spirit would be for them “another Advocate” or “Counselor” or “Helper” who would be with them forever (Jn 14:16). Not only would the Spirit “teach” them “everything” and “remind” of all the Jesus had said to them (14:26), he would also “declare” to them “the things that are to come” (16:13). The purpose of this would be to “glorify” Jesus  by taking “what is mine” and “declaring” it to them (16:14). And “what is mine” includes “All that the Father has” (16:14).

The result of all of this is that not only would the disciples be empowered to carry on their work, but in fact they would do much more. Jesus promised that their sharing in the love between him and the Father and the constant presence and guidance of the Spirit would empower them to “do greater works than these” (Jn 14:12). It may seem impossible, but Jesus promised that his disciples would carry out his legacy of fulfilling God’s work in the world. That would include bearing witness to Jesus, but also it would include lives of faithful discipleship that would have effects that would reach more widely than any of them could likely imagine.

There are a lot of ways in which the helplessness we feel about the world relates to what’s happening in the church. Churches across the country have been in decline for decades. And two years of the pandemic has only sped up that process. It can seem like all our efforts to turn that around have been frustrated by the changes that are sweeping through our world. But despite our feelings of helplessness, Jesus’ promises to his disciples apply to us as well. He has not left us to carry on the work of ministry by our own efforts. The love we know in relationship with him and the Father and the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit empower us all to go out and do “greater works” than any of us can likely imagine!

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[1] © Alan Brehm 2022. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 6/5/2022 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

The Spirit of Truth

 The Spirit of Truth

John 16:12-15[1]

Sharing our faith is something that can be difficult for most of us. In fact, I would say that the vast majority of Christians in this country never say a word about their faith outside a church building. There are a variety of reasons for this. We don’t much like to talk about our faith in public. In fact, I think we’d prefer to do just about anything other than having to talk about our faith in public. For many of us, our convictions are something very personal to us, and we hold them dear. For others, it just seems like there’s so much about our faith that we don’t understand. And for that reason we don’t think we’re capable of talking about our faith.

But sharing our faith is something essential. All of us learned faith in Jesus because of someone who talked to us about him. It may not have happened in a “public” place. For most of us it probably happened either in church or at home or both. But sharing our faith remains the primary means of passing it along from one person to another. More than that, as we saw last week, the “truth” that Jesus has brought us is the truth of a relationship with God whereby we experience God’s love and we put into practice God’s ways and purposes in this world in our daily lives. In order to do that, many of us may feel like we need to know more about that “truth.”

Our lesson from John’s Gospel for today addresses this problem. As we’ve seen already, in this section of the Gospel Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure. But they are confused. They cannot fathom the idea that the Messiah would abandon them. In response, Jesus promises to send them “an Advocate” from the Father (Jn 15:26). The word “Advocate” here could also be translated “Comforter,” “Counselor,” “Helper,” or “Friend.” I think the main point is that the one Jesus was sending to them would be with them in the same way that he had been with them. Of course, he’s referring to the Spirit of God, the one who makes our relationship with God “real” for us, and the one who makes Jesus’ presence real in our lives.

Jesus calls this helper “the Spirit of Truth.” As such, he says that “the Spirit of truth” will guide the disciples “into all truth” (Jn 16:13). That would consist of “teaching” them “everything,” and “reminding” them “of all I have said to you.” Jesus goes on to say that the “helper” will “glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (Jn. 16:14). It would seem, then, that the role of the “helper” is not only to enable them to remember Jesus’ teachings, and beyond that to understand Jesus’ teachings. It would seem that the role of the “helper” was to give them further “truth” that they had not yet received. I think we find that “further truth” in the books of the NT, none of which were written when Jesus lived.

But the “Spirit of Truth” has another role in our lesson for today. I think it’s important for us to see that the main work of the Spirit would be to enable Jesus’ disciples to “testify” to him. In our lesson for today, Jesus promises that the Spirit would testify to him, and that would enable his disciples to testify also (Jn 15:26-27). That follows a pattern in John’s Gospel: just as Jesus did the work God sent him to do, so they would also do the work Jesus sent them to do (Jn. 14:12). Just as Jesus taught what God had given him to teach, so the Spirit would continue to teach them, and in turn they would teach others (Jn. 16:13).[2] They would discover the “truth” as they put into practice the things Jesus taught them in their daily lives.[3]

So the “helper,” or the “Spirit of Truth” would not only lead them into “all truth.” The Spirit would also lead them into all the truth they would need to carry out their work of testifying to Jesus and to the new life they had through him. That’s what the Spirit does in our lives: the Spirit brings the word of Scripture to life so that it calls forth our faith and service to others in love. The Spirit works in our lives constantly to shape us into the image of Christ, producing the “fruit” of character traits that resemble Jesus’ own character. The Spirit empowers every aspect of our lives as Christians, everything we do both individually and together as the Body of Christ. The Spirit teaches us, equips us with gifts, calls us, and perhaps most importantly, pushes us out of our comfortable ruts so that we will indeed “testify” to Jesus and the new life he has given us.

On this day we commemorate the first Pentecost of the early church. Before that day, the first Christians typically gathered behind locked doors out of fear of being caught and arrested. But when the Spirit came upon them, they seemed to lose their fear and became bold witnesses to Jesus Christ. This is precisely what Jesus says the Spirit would do for the disciples in our lesson from John’s Gospel for today. Jesus promises that the Spirit would testify to him, and that would enable them to testify as well. That’s how sharing your faith works. It’s not something any of us can do alone. Even the Apostles affirm time and again in the NT that the only way they were able to do the amazing things they did was because the Spirit of God empowered them to do so. The same is true for us. We can only share our faith as the “Spirit of Truth” “glorifies” Jesus in and through our lives. We can share our faith as the Spirit reminds us, guides us, teaches us, and empowers us to put our faith into practice in our daily lives.

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[1] © 2021 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D. on 5/23/2021 for Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] cf. Eugene Peterson, “The Story Behind the Story: John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15,” Journal for Preachers 26 (no. 4 Pentecost) 2003:6-7.

[3] Cf. Gail R. O’Day, “Gospel of John,” New Interpreters Bible IX:749.

Astonishing

Astonishing

Acts 2:1-21; Psalm 104:24-34[1]

I don’t know about you, but I’d say that my experience with 2020 so far has been anything but “normal.” I lost a mother and gained a granddaughter. I’ve worn a mask over my face and nose in public places. As many of us have reflected, it feels like our lives have been completely upended. Of course, much of this is due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My son Derek and his wife have a collaborative game called “Pandemic.” The idea is that if you stop the pandemic, everybody wins. If you don’t, everybody loses. What a concept. It’s been an astonishing year, to say the least.

I find the language that our insurance companies use for astonishing events somewhat ironic: they call them “Acts of God.” Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes, are “Acts of God” that insurance providers may exclude from your coverage. Of course, there was a time when people believed these unprecedented catastrophes truly did come from God. There are some who still do. But now we can explain their natural causes. Much of what at one time would have been attributed to some mysterious “act of God” now has a completely rational explanation.

This also applies to the way we view our faith. One of the traits of our branch of the Christian family is an approach that seeks to explain all things spiritual in terms that everyone can understand. That’s why the sermon became the focus for Christian worship instead of the Communion table. In the Catholic Church, the whole point of the service is the miracle by which the bread and wine become Jesus’ own body and blood. It is a great mystery, not to be explained, but to be experienced. In our Reformed churches, however, the point of worship is to explain the faith reasonably.

In our lesson from Acts, which tells the story of the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the response of the people who witnessed it was not one of calm, reasonable understanding, but rather they were “bewildered,” “amazed and astonished,” and “perplexed” (Acts 2:6 ,7, 12). This event, which I would consider a real “Act of God,” was beyond their ability to comprehend or explain. It left them in a state of confusion, as the lesson puts it: “All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, ‘What does this mean?’” (Acts 2:12).

Most of us don’t like what we can’t understand. We feel uncomfortable with confusion. And so some may also insist that the “miracle” of Pentecost was that the language of the Apostles was fully intelligible to people of many different dialects. This is one of the many ways we try to keep God firmly within the box of what we can explain. Unfortunately, that kind of faith doesn’t have the power to motivate us to live for the peace and justice and freedom of God’s Kingdom in a world that is so unfree and unjust.

When the Spirit comes, really comes, everything changes. We can’t remain in our comfortable ruts because the Spirit won’t let us! One of the questions I’ve received from the congregation is about the role of the Spirit in our lives. The Spirit brings the word of Scripture to life so that it calls forth our faith and love. The Spirit works in our lives constantly to shape us into the image of Christ. The Spirit empowers every aspect of our lives as Christians and everything we do as the Body of Christ. The Spirit teaches us, convicts us, equips us with gifts, calls us, and perhaps most importantly, pushes us out of our comfortable ruts. When the Spirit really comes to work in our lives, we should expect it to be astonishing.

I would have to say that one of the lessons of Pentecost is that when “God happens,” it will be something astonishing, like Pentecost itself. If we want to see God at work in our midst, we need to be prepared for some amazement, some confusion, something beyond our understanding. If we want our faith to make a difference in the way we live, if we want our church to be alive with the power of the Spirit, we have to expect that it will only happen to the extent that the God of Pentecost comes to us and shakes things up and blows things around.[2] And when that happens, we should expect to be astonished!

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[1] ©Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Alan Brehm, Ph. D., on 5/31/2020 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. Leonora Tubbs Tisdale, “The Wind that Blows the Doors Off,” Journal for Preachers 26 no 4 (Pentecost 2003): 56, where she says, because of “This wild Spirit wind of God … everyone in that room who thought they had God all figured out and safely circumscribed in their neat and orderly theological boxes, saw the doors of those boxes completely blown off.”

The Spirit of Truth

The Spirit of Truth

John 14:8-17; Acts 2:16-21[1]

Given our sometimes maddeningly diverse world, I’m afraid people tend to fall into two camps when it comes to “Truth.” Some, like Pontius Pilate long ago, sagely ask, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). Others cling ever more tightly to that version of “Truth” they have embraced, insisting as the Roman Catholic Church did in the Middle Ages that it is “what has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.”^[2] I’m afraid this kind of “all-or-nothing” thinking has plagued the church for centuries. Indeed, all organized religions are characterized by their ability to define and maintain their identity, even when the means they use to do so may seem to contradict the faith they profess.^[3]

Unfortunately, that tension in the church originates in Scripture. It is a tension between what we might call “exclusion” and “embrace.”[4] There are many passages of scripture that emphasize “God’s people” as unique, distinct, set apart from other peoples. And, as we discussed not long ago, along with that goes “boundary markers” that are absolute in order to reinforce that identity. It is the language of “exclusion.” It says to those who are different, “You don’t belong.”

But then there are also many passages in Scripture that emphasize that God’s ultimate purpose in choosing a people for himself is to bring all peoples into the embrace of God’s love and God’s life.  Along with that point of view go visions of a far-reaching and all-inclusive mission to carry the good news of God’s love to all nations. It is the language of “embrace.” It says, “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

Our Scripture lessons for today highlight this problem. In our lesson from Acts, Peter uses verses from the book of the prophet Joel to explain what was happening on the Day of Pentecost. He boldly proclaims, “this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: ‘In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh’” (Acts 2:16-17). Peter was quoting from Joel 2:28, which in its context was a part of God’s promise to restore his people and restore his life-giving presence among them. That might seem to limit the promise of the Spirit to Jewish people, but in Acts, the idea of the Spirit poured out on “all flesh,” as well as the promise that “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21), clearly implies that the promise is opened to all people.

On the other hand, in our lesson from John’s Gospel, Jesus seems to speak about the gift of the Spirit in a very different way. The setting is that Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure. But they are confused. They cannot fathom the idea that the Messiah would abandon them. In response, Jesus promises to send them “another Advocate” (John 14:16). The word “Advocate” here could also be translated “Comforter,” “Counselor,” “Helper,” or “Friend.” I think the main point is that the one Jesus was sending to them would be with them in the same way that he had been with them.

Jesus calls this helper, “the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17), because he’s talking about the Spirit of God, the one who makes God’s presence real in our lives, and the one who would continue to make Jesus’ presence real in their lives and ours. But the strange thing Jesus says about the “Spirit of Truth” is that while “he abides with you, and he will be in you,” “the world cannot receive [him]” (John 14:17). This seems to be a very different take on the outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost. It seems to say that the Spirit is reserved only for a limited group, not poured out on “all flesh.”

What are we to make of this? Is the Spirit of God poured out on everyone, or just a particular group? Even within the Gospel of John, which affirms that “God so loved the world that he gave his only son” (John 3:16), the language of our Gospel reading seems strange. Part of the answer can be found in the fact that the community of believers John was addressing faced severe threats, like the loss of livelihood, or family and social ties, or possibly even loss of their lives. In the face of these kinds of threats our natural fears harden into isolation. Instead of embracing others, we see them as a threat from which we must protect ourselves. And we tend to restrict those who belong to our “group,” and limit the gifts that go with our faith, like the gift of the Spirit.

Beyond the context of our reading from John’s Gospel, I believe we have to think more clearly about what the gift of the Spirit represents. It represents God’s presence in this world, and I don’t see a whole lot of justification in Scripture for placing any limitations on that. The Spirit represents Jesus’ continuing presence in this world, and it doesn’t make sense to restrict the presence of the one who identifies with the poor and marginalized people in our world. If we see ourselves as those who are called by the “Spirit of Truth” to be the people of the God who embraces all people in his love, then we cannot isolate ourselves from “outsiders” whom we judge “different.”[5] If we are going to follow the “Spirit of Truth,” we will not only love God but also love our neighbors, all our neighbors. ^[6] And that means recognizing every human being as a beloved child of God. As Ray Stevens sang it, “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in his sight.” If they are precious in God’s sight, they must be precious in ours as well.

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[1] © 2019 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 6/9/2019 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] This was Vincent of Lerin’s view of the faith that guided the Roman Catholic Church in the medieval ages. See The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, 1700, s. v. “Vincentian Canon.”

[3] John D. Caputo, On Religion, 32-33: “Institutionalized communities are defined by their identity and the power to maintain their identity, which includes the power to excommunicate the different.”

[4] See Miroslav Volf, Exclusion and Embrace, 22-31.

[5] Volf, Exclusion and Embrace, 69-79.

[6] Caputo, On Religion, 111: “Religious truth is tied up with being truly religious, truly loving God, loving God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), and there are more ways to do that than are dreamt of by the faithful in the traditional confessions.”

Breath of God

Breath of God

John 15:26-27[1]

I think that fear may be one of the greatest obstacles many of us face in life. I’ve mentioned fear a couple of times in recent sermons. The reason for that is I’ve dealt with fear many times in my life. I’m talking about the kind of fear that wakes you up in the middle of the night. I think fear can also be one of the greatest spiritual obstacles we may face. I know that when I’ve been captive to fear, I’ve had great difficulty being able to simply believe in God’s love, let alone experience it. Fear seems to cut us off from the life-giving presence of God’s Spirit in our lives just as surely as if we were branches lopped from a vine.

I mention this today because it is the day when we commemorate the first Pentecost. That was when the Spirit of God breathed life into the infant church, enabling them to bear witness to all that Jesus had meant to them. And throughout the New Testament, the Apostles affirm that the only way they were able to do the amazing things they did was because the Spirit of God had empowered them to do so. Ironically, before that first Pentecost, the first Christians typically gathered behind locked doors out of fear of being caught and arrested. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that they weren’t able to live out their faith when they were captive to fear.

In contrast to that, when the Spirit came upon them, they seemed to lose their fear and became bold witnesses to Jesus Christ. This is precisely what Jesus says the Spirit would do for the disciples according to John’s Gospel. In our lesson for today, Jesus promises that the Spirit would testify to him, and that would enable them to testify as well (Jn. 15:26-27). That follows a pattern in John’s Gospel. Just as Jesus did the work God sent him to do, so they would also do the work Jesus sent them to do (Jn. 14:12). Just as Jesus taught what God had given him to teach, so the Spirit would continue to teach them, and in turn they would teach others (Jn. 16:13).

I’ve always believed that churches thrive to the extent that they become living demonstrations of the love of God, the presence of Jesus, and the new life of the Spirit. That might not sound like a very practical approach to revitalizing a church. Nevertheless it is my firm conviction that while we may generate short-term results through our own creativity and talent, anything lasting that we may do for the sake of the kingdom of God can only be done by the power of the Spirit working through us. Or perhaps I should say, it can only be done as the Spirit breathes the life of God in and through us.

One question I’ve always struggled with is what specifically we are supposed to do about this. Some would answer that we must simply become “filled with the Spirit.” But I’m not sure that really helps most of us. How can average, normal, day in and day out human beings like us become the kind of people who display the love of Christ and the new life of the Spirit? The usual answer is that it’s a matter of practicing the disciplines of the faith: prayer, scripture reading, service, and worship. These practices have sustained the life of the church for centuries, and for some of us, they continue to sustain our life. But the fact of the matter is that they simply leave some of us unmoved. 

That’s why another way to become more “Spirit-filled” is to find the presence of God through the everyday routines of life: from washing dishes to working in the yard to simply taking the time to look people in the eye and acknowledge them as human beings. I personally find exercising to be particularly effective for me —whether practicing yoga or going on a rigorous bike ride, or even walking. The key is to turn off the constant “noise” in our minds that keeps us from being aware of God’s life-giving presence. When we can silence all that mental chatter and simply be in the presence of God’s Spirit, we discover a whole new Pentecost every day—we discover that are constantly living in God’s presence. 

I don’t think there’s only one method for achieving this. And I also don’t think there’s a quick path to getting “spiritual.” In fact, it’s something we really can’t do at all! All we can do is try to “show up.” All we can do is open ourselves to the presence of the life-giving Spirit, praying for the breath of God to breathe new life in and through us. There are a number of ways of doing this, from meditative prayer to simply enjoying the beauty of the world around us. However we may find a way to become more aware of God’s presence, it makes all the difference in the way we live. And it makes all the difference in how we live out our faith.

I would say that most of us have had some kind of experience with the voice of fear. We know how powerfully it can affect us. But the voice that God’s Spirit breathes into our lives is not the voice of fear, but the voice of love. It is the voice that says “I am with you.” It is the voice that says “I will never abandon you.” It is the voice that says, “I have loved you with a love that never ends.” When we can recognize that the voice of fear is not the voice of truth, it can set us free from our fears. When we can listen to the voice of love, we can become more aware of God’s constant presence. Then we can begin to know the new life that God’s Spirit breathes in us and through us.

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[1] © 2018 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 5/20/2018 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

One and the Same Spirit

One and the Same Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:3-13[1]

When you take a good look at the many different ways in which Christians practice their faith, you may wonder what all of them have in common. There are so many different approaches to living out the Christian faith. You don’t have to go any farther than Lincoln to see that. Some are traditional, some are definitely not. Some are conservative, some are middle of the road, and some are very liberal. Some don’t even have the word “church” on their sign! And many have removed any identification with a denomination like “Presbyterian” or “Methodist” or “Baptist” altogether from their name.

When you go beyond the confines of our culture, it can be even more challenging. As we look at the diversity in the Body of Christ around the world, it can leave us wondering whether there is anything that unites them in any meaningful way. Of course, some churches don’t want to be united with those who do things differently. They think “difference” means “heresy.” However, I would say that while the way believers worship and their understanding of the faith differs from one culture to another, there is a common thread of faith in all of them. I’ve worshipped with churches in Germany, Romania, Switzerland, Nicaragua, The Philippines, and Cameroon. Wherever people are able to comprehend a larger body of Christ, I have felt right at home.

I think one of the most important reasons why this has been true is because the Spirit of God is working in their midst. That’s part of what St. Paul has to say in our New Testament lesson for today. He says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone” (1 Cor. 12:4-6). I think Paul makes it clear that different approaches to the faith are to be expected. These are the “varieties” he speaks of. Not everyone in every church everywhere is going to do everything exactly the same way. That’s not a problem, it’s a sign of health and vitality in the church!

Throughout his letters, the Apostle attributes all life in the church to the Spirit of God. When the church thrives, it is because the Spirit of God is working among us. When the church comes together in a way that unites believers from across cultural, political, national, and ethnic boundary lines, it is the work of the Spirit of God. When the members of a congregation like this one share in the serving one another and the world around us, it is because the Spirit of God has enabled us to do so. For St. Paul, every aspect of the church’s life and ministry comes from the Spirit of God.

The surprising element in all of this is the fact that God has chosen to accomplish this work through people like you and me. And to do this, he gives us the “gifts of the Spirit,” which St. Paul says are given to each person “for the common good” (1 Cor. 12:7). In other words, every single person has some “gift” from the Spirit that is to be used for the benefit of the whole church. What that means is that for the church to thrive all the members of the body have to share the gifts they have been given. We may have a variety of gifts, but all of them come from the same Spirit and are meant to build up the body of Christ.

I think one major mistake people make when they look at the “gifts of the Spirit” is that they try to see where they fit into the lists of gifts mentioned in the Bible. But I don’t believe St. Paul ever intended for the lists of gifts he mentioned to be taken as the only possibilities. They are examples of the ways that the Spirit of God was working through people in the churches of his day. To be sure, some of those gifts are timeless. There will always be a need for teaching. There will always be room for generosity. There will always be a place for leadership. But I would say that your “spiritual gift” may not even be in any of the biblical lists. That may make it a little harder to discern how you fit into the body of Christ, but it also gives you the freedom to be the person God made you to be.

When I look at the way we approach our life together, I’m afraid many may consider this “spiritual” model for the success of the enterprise we call “Church” too ambiguous.  We’re much more comfortable with clearly laid out plans, exhaustive manuals of operations, and sound policies and procedures. As valuable as policies and procedures can be, they are not what gives life to the church of Jesus Christ! What gives life to the church is when we all put our “gifts of the Spirit” to work for “the common good” and “with the strength that God supplies” (1 Pet 4:11).

I think this is one of the lessons that the church has had to learn and re-learn over and over throughout the ages.  We can accomplish nothing of lasting value if we try to do it in our own strength, by our own talent, through our own wisdom. It is only as we carry out our service through the empowering presence of the Spirit that we can hope to truly build up the body of Christ and offer our service to the world around us.  I think if every individual in every church across this county took seriously the call to serve the body of Christ in this way, we would be astonished at the transformation that would result. To be sure, I believe it would look very different from anything we might imagine. And I’m also quite sure there would be far more diversity that we might like. But as we recognize the work of the Spirit in people putting their gifts into practice for the benefit of the church in wondrously varied ways, we will see that it is all the work of one and the same Spirit.

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[1] ©2017 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 6/4/2017 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

Not Forsaken

Not Forsaken

John 14:7-14[1]

If you listen to some of the voices in our world, it would seem that if God exists at all, he abandoned this world long ago. There is a significant strain of skepticism in our culture that sees all that’s wrong with this world and concludes that we’re left out here in the middle of the galaxy on our own. The message of doubt and despair seems to overwhelm any hope or faith altogether. The only realities are buying and selling, winning and losing, living and dying. And from this perspective, since death has the final word on all of our lives, then all that we do is ultimately meaningless. It is an approach to life that fundamentally mistrusts everything and everyone, because we are ultimately God-forsaken.

This outlook on life flies in the face of the biblical message. In fact, it would seem that some of those who have contributed most significantly to this kind of pessimism have taken the biblical message and turned it on its head. But the fact remains that the Bible insists that we live in a world that is filled with the presence of the loving God.[2] It may be difficult for us to sense God’s presence, and it may be even more difficult for us to grasp that God is with us. But that is one of the most important reasons why Jesus lived and served, to make it clear to us that God is with us.[3]

One of the problems with this is that, obviously, Jesus is no longer physically present with us. This seems to be a problem that has troubled faithful believers from the very beginning. If we read between the lines as we’re reading some of what the NT has to say about this, it would seem that Jesus’ physical absence was difficult for the first Christians to bear. They looked for him to return in their lifetimes. And when some of the faithful started passing away, those who remained were confused. It would seem that some of them wondered if Jesus had abandoned them.[4]

In our lesson from the Gospel of John for today, that is the question that Jesus addresses with his disciples. In this section of the Gospel, Jesus is preparing them for his departure. If we pay attention to the questions they ask him, we can tell that they themselves—Jesus’ very own followers—were puzzled and even dismayed by what Jesus was trying to tell them.[5] How could Jesus leave them? They had come to believe that he was the Messiah. How was it that he was going away? In their minds, the Messiah wouldn’t go away, he would stay and ascend the throne of David and usher in an age of peace and justice.

Our lesson for today is preceded by Jesus’ announcement that he was going to go to prepare a place for them in his father’s house, assuring them that they knew the way to the place he was going (John 14:1-4). In response, Thomas very likely voiced what many of the others were thinking: “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (John 14:5). I think he was only voicing the questions they were all asking. They had been with him, they had followed him, they had learned from him, and it now seemed barely believable that he would leave them. In fact, it would seem that this problem serves as the backdrop for much of what Jesus had to say to them in this chapter of John’s Gospel.

In response to Jesus’ answer that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, Philip asks Jesus to “show us the Father” (John 14:8). Jesus answers him by re-emphasizing what he has already asserted time and again: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). One more time, Jesus goes over the basic lesson of his life and ministry: that he had come to make it clear that God’s grace and God’s truth are always with us.

But beyond that, Jesus addressed their concerns by telling them “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever” (John 14:16). The translation “Advocate” is probably not one that communicates with most of us. It has also been translated “Comforter,” “Counselor,” “Helper,” and “Friend.” The truth is that the concept that Jesus was trying to convey probably includes all of those ideas.[6] I think the main point is that the one Jesus was sending to them would be with them in the same way that he had been with them.

This comforter, counselor, helper, and friend that Jesus promised to send is “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17). He is nothing less than the Holy Spirit of God, the one who makes God’s presence in our lives a reality. But the interesting thing about the way Jesus speaks of the Spirit here is that it seems that the Spirit also makes Jesus’ presence in our lives a reality. In fact, just after our lesson, Jesus assures them that he would not abandon them. The implication is that the Spirit continues Jesus’ presence with those who have trusted in him.[7]

This is a message that starkly contrasts the counsel of despair that says we live in a God-forsaken world.[8] It flies in the face of those who would say we’ve been abandoned and left to our own devices. This message is one that resonates throughout the Bible: God rejoices in his creation. And that means that God will never, ever forsake us. One of the most important reasons why Jesus lived and served and taught as he did was to make it clear to us all that through him, God is with us. And even though Jesus is no longer present physically, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit because he makes Jesus’ presence with us just as real as he did for the first disciples. The Spirit has been poured out on “all flesh” as a declaration that we never have been and never will be forsaken.

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[1] ©2016 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 5/15/2016 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy, we live in a “God-bathed world.” Cf. also Jürgen Moltmann, God in Creation: A New Theology of Creation and the Spirit of God, 9: “Through the energies and potentialities of the Spirit, the Creator is himself present in his creation. He does not merely confront it in his transcendence; entering into it, he is also immanent in it.”

[3] Cf. Gail R. O’Day, “The Gospel of John,” New Interpreters Bible IX:744: “the incarnation changes everything for the Fourth Evangelist, because through it humanity’s relationship to God and God’s relationship to humanity are decisively altered. The incarnation has redefined God for the Fourth Evangelist and those for whom he writes, because it brings the tangible presence of God’s love to the world.”  Cf. also  Jürgen Moltmann, The Trinity and the Kingdom, 114-118, says that the incarnation is part of the “eternally self-communicating love of God.” Cf. also Shirley C. Guthrie, Christian Doctrine, 240, where he reminds us that the idea of the incarnation is not just a matter of God “pretending” to be a human being, but rather of God fully entering our reality and fully sharing our humanity in order to redeem every aspect of human experience.  

[4] Cf. O’Day, “Gospel of John,” NIB IX:749, where she says that the question that occupies this portion of John’s Gospel is, “Can the disciples still love him, when he has gone?” She continues by saying that this passage “answers yes to this question, but it may be a yes that surprised even Jesus’ first disciples. The disciples can still love Jesus, but neither by clinging to a cherished memory of him nor by retreating into their private experience of him. Rather, they can continue to love Jesus by doing his works (vv. 12-14) and by keeping his commandments (vv. 15-24). That is, when they move outside of their own private experience of Jesus, when they live what Jesus has taught them and demonstrated in his own life, then they will find themselves once again in his love.”

[5] On the Disciples’ lack of understanding, cf. G. R. Beasley-Murray, John, 252; and O’Day, “Gospel of John,” NIB IX:741-42.

[6] Cf. O’Day, “Gospel of John,” NIB IX:747, where she points out that the Greek word transliterated “Paraclete” is based on a verb that “has a wide range of meanings that include ‘to exhort and encourage,’ ‘to comfort and console,’ ‘to call upon for help,’ and ‘to appeal.’ The noun form can mean ‘the one who exhorts,’ ‘the one who comforts,’ ‘the one who helps,’ and ‘the one who makes appeals on one’s behalf.’ The Fourth Evangelist seems to draw on the whole range of meanings in the variety of functions attributed to the Paraclete.”

[7] Cf. Raymond Brown The Gospel According to John XIII-XXI, 644: “the Spirit of Truth is a Paraclete precisely because he carries on the earthly work of Jesus.”

[8] Cf. Gerard S. Sloyan, John, 178, where he paraphrases Jesus’ assurances in the beginning of John 14, “The pain of life, separation, and cross cannot last forever. Live in hope. The present will yield to the future because I will see to it.”

The Spirit Helps Us

The Spirit Helps Us

Romans 8:18-27[1]

Most of us are used to thinking that we live in “the land of the free and the home of the brave.” We may think of it especially on this weekend when we remember those who have given their lives in service to our country. But the freedoms that so many fought so bravely for may seem to many of us to be evaporating. We used to take it for granted that that our children would have better and longer lives that we had. But for the first time in two centuries, there is some concern that children will actually have poorer health and live shorter lives than their parents.[2] We also have taken it for granted that anyone who wants an education in this country should be able to get it. But the rising costs of tuition makes it impossible for all but the wealthy to go to school without racking up tens of thousands of dollars in debt.[3]

The truth of the matter is that we are not as free as we’d like to think. Most of us are free to work throughout our adult lives to make a livelihood in order to raise our families, pay our mortgages, and if we’re lucky, save a little for retirement. Many of us will need to work even after we “retire” in order to be able to make ends meet. The financial realities of our lives these days have made it so that most of us live paycheck-to-paycheck, making do with little or no savings, which means we’re carrying way more debt than we should.[4] It doesn’t sound like our lives are all that free.

So it may sound strange to us when St. Paul talks about the hope of freedom for the children of God and for all of creation (Rom. 8:21-23). The idea is that everyone and everything will one day be set free from all that binds and burdens us here and now. We may be much more familiar with the idea of groaning for the time when we can be truly free. I would say that our experience these days is defined more by groaning under the present burdens than by the hope of being set free.[5] And yet, St. Paul insists that freedom is the destiny not only for all God’s children, but also for all God’s creatures.

Part of the basis for this astounding hope is the victory won by our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ in his death and resurrection. But as we’ve been discussing that wonderful event and our response to it throughout the Easter season, we’ve seen that it’s not always easy to maintain that hope in our present circumstances. Life can make it very difficult indeed to hold onto the hope that God is working in this world to bring freedom to all God’s children and all God’s creatures. In fact, I would say that often our experience of life can dash those hopes and replace them with doubts and even despair about the possibility of ever experiencing that kind of freedom.[6]

But I think it is at this very point that the Scripture lesson may address us. I find it very interesting that after talking about the hope for freedom that we continue to cherish in the midst of our current groaning, he says that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness” (Rom. 8:26). While the immediate reference is our ability to know how to pray or even to know what we should pray, I think St. Paul is making a broader reference here. I don’t think it is a coincidence that he follows up a discussion of the challenges we face in holding onto this hope with the promise that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”[7] I think the assurance is that the Spirit who was “poured out on all flesh” on that first Pentecost (Acts 2:17) comes to us all and “helps us in our weakness”—whatever that weakness may be.

Now, knowing the experience of the Spirit’s help is not something that is always obvious. In fact, I would suggest that at times the Spirit may be helping us in ways that we don’t even know and can’t even imagine. And yet, regardless of our awareness, the promise of Scripture stands: “The Spirit helps us in our weakness”! In my experience, the times when the Spirit is helping us the most are the times when we may feel like we’re abandoned by God, alone and hopeless. Of course there are other times when we encounter a presence from outside us that renews us, and lifts us up, and gives us new faith and hope and love. But whether we are aware of it or not, “the Spirit helps us in our weakness.”[8]

If we doubt that the Spirit is present with us even when we feel most alone in the world, take a look at what St. Paul has to say about the Spirit’s work in the world of nature. When we think that God’s purpose is only to redeem the human family, we sell God’s grace and God’s power short. The fact of the matter is that all of creation is God’s cherished handiwork, and the Scriptures speak time and again of God’s determination to restore all of his creatures to the life he meant for them to have in the first place. While the Scriptures can speak variably about God or Jesus or the Spirit carrying out this work, the fact is that the Spirit who was active at creation in the beginning is also working to bring new life—not only to all people but to all of God’s creation.[9]   

If the Spirit is at work in the natural world around us, then surely that same Spirit is constantly working in our lives, and in the lives of our friends and family, and in the lives of strangers, and even in the lives of those we may consider “enemies.” And the end result of this work is that all God’s children and all God’s creatures will find the freedom that God intended for us all to have in the first place.[10] If we have difficulty being able to embrace this astounding hope, that’s why the Spirit is here. The Spirit is here among us all to “help us in our weakness.”

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[1] ©2015 Alan Brehm. A sermon delivered by Rev. Dr. Alan Brehm on 5/24/2015 at Hickman Presbyterian Church, Hickman, NE.

[2] Cf. Pam Belluck, “Children’s Life Expectancy Being Cut Short By Obesity,” New York Times, March 17, 2005; accessed at http://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/17/health/17obese.html?_r=0.

[3] Cf. “The Upwardly Mobile Barista,” The Atlantic May 2015;  accessed at http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/ archive/2015/05/the-upwardly-mobile-barista/389513/.

[4] Cf. Linda Tirado, “Why Poor People Stay Poor: Saving Money Costs Money. Period.” Slate, December 5, 2014; accessed at http://www.slate.com/articles/life/family/2014/12/linda_tirado_on_the_realities_of_living_in_bootstrap _america_daily_annoyances.htm .

[5] Cf. James D. G. Dunn, Romans 1-8, 490: “The suffering of the saints is part of a cosmic drama into which all creation, inanimate as well as animate, is drawn. … We ourselves are caught up in the same cosmic unease too deep for words.” Cf. also Dunn, 474: “the point needs to be emphasized that the Spirit does not free from such tension, but actually creates or at least heightens that tension and brings it to more anguished expression.” Cf. also Karl Barth, Church Dogmatics 4.2:329.

[6] Cf. Dunn, Romans 1-8, 488. This relates to the “futility” Paul says we have all been subjected to. Dunn comments, “By ‘futility’ Paul probably has in mind the same sense of futility of life which found expression in Jewish thought most clearly in Ecclesiastes—that weariness and despair of spirit which cannot see beyond the stultifying repetitiveness of life, the endless cycle of decay and corruption, the worthlessness of a lifelong effort which may be swept away overnight by a storm or be parched to nothingness in a drought, the complete insignificance of the individual in the tides of time and the currents of human affairs.”

[7] Cf. Barth, Church Dogmatics 4.2:330, where he comments of believers that “they are in a position to hope, and to hope without wavering, even though they do not see; that they can actually wait with patience. They can do this because He, the Spirit, helps their infirmities, i.e., strengthens them in the weakness to which they are exposed by the fact that they do not yet see what they are.” Cf. also Jürgen Moltmann, The Coming of God: Christian Eschatology, 229: “In this unredeemed world enslaved creation is sighing for redemption, and believers who have received the first fruits of the Holy Spirit join in these sighs, according to Paul (Rom. 8:19ff.); but the ‘sighings’ are the groans of labour pains, birth cries of the divine Spirit which will one day be transformed into eternal joy at the rebirth of the cosmos (John 16:20).”

[8] Paul Tillich, in “The Witness of the Spirit to the Spirit,” in The Shaking of the Foundations, 139, says it this way: even when we feel discouraged and think perhaps that God is displeased with us, the Spirit is “working quietly in the depth of our souls.”

[9] Cf. Dunn, Romans 1-8, 487: “Paul’s vision of God’s saving purpose drives him beyond any idea of a merely personal or human redemption. What is at stake in all this is creation as a whole and the fulfillment of God’s original intention in creating the cosmos.” Cf. similarly, Paul J. Achtemeier, Romans, 144: “God has already set the destiny of creation: …that destiny is the final redemptive transformation of reality.”

[10] Cf. Jürgen Moltmann, The Church in the Power of the Spirit, 222: Paul “sees the suffering which is anonymously enslaving the world, …, as being the sign of the Creator’s struggle for the liberation of the world—a struggle initiated by Christ.”