“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth…(John 16:13)

This Spirit of Truth has come.  He came last week in the Pentecost texts.  From that time on, following that fiftieth day after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, God’s Spirit took on an important task.  He, along with the Father—who is creator of all things seen and unseen; and the Son—who has offered redemption to the whole world; has one sole purpose on this earth:  from now until the end of time!

We know that the Father is the creative source of the Trinity; we know full well that Jesus is the salvation to the nations; but just what is this one sole purpose of His Spirit?

“…He (the Spirit) will glorify Me (Jesus)…” John writes in 16:14.  That’s it!  That is the one thing that the Holy Spirit of God is called to do!

In Martin Luther’s explanation of the Third Article of the Apostles’ Creed he admits that no one – on their own – can come to know and love the Lord Jesus Christ!  Try as we may, it is a human impossibility; our frailties and sin are just too strong.  They do not allow us to get close to God.

In other words, we need help.

This otherwise shy partner of the Holy Trinity isn’t shy at all.  He is not as hidden as we might think that He is, or, as mysterious as we like to make this third part of the Trinity out to be.  We need someone to point us to Jesus Christ.  We cannot, as we have just admitted, do it on our own.  This is the one, sole purpose of the Holy Spirit.  To always point us to Jesus Christ.  Dr. Luther would go on to say that because of this work of the Spirit, we come together as His children and are blessed beyond understanding.  He uses words like “…calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies…” but they all point to the ultimate blessing of God:  eternal salvation.  Thanks to the Holy Spirit of this otherwise mystical concept known as “Trinity,” we have Christ presented to us every moment of our lives as our Lord and Savior.

And as the Spirit of God lifts up the savior, let us mirror that call and do the same.   What a wonderful task to have!  Share the love of Christ and experience the presence of God’s Holy Spirit!  Know that He is with you through thick and thin!  What a great Lord we have!  Expressed in three loving ways – He is the One and Only!

Have a blessed Trinity Sunday!  I hope to see you all very soon!

God loves you and so do I!

Pastor Jim