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The Holy Spirit

By Vicar Lisa

In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther, reflecting on the Third Article of the Apostles Creed, says, “I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified and kept me in the truth faith. In the same way he calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith”

Martin Luther emphasized that the Holy Spirit works through God's Word and is received by faith alone, rather than through personal revelations or mystical experiences. He strongly opposed the idea that the Spirit speaks inwardly apart from Scripture, criticizing those who claimed to receive direct messages from God without biblical foundation. Luther also taught that the Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in justification and sanctification, helping believers grow in faith and holiness. His writings stress that the Spirit is not separate from Christ but always points people to Him.

According to Luther, the Holy Spirit’s coming at Pentecost is critical for everything that comes next — including the very existence of our own lives of faith and communities of faith. Come Holy Spirit, come!

June 8, Day of Pentecost

10 a.m. Sunday Worship with Communion

Announcements

  • Fellowship Time: Please join us after worship on Sunday in the Fellowship Hall for coffee and conversation.
  • Church Council: Church council also meets after worship downstairs in the Fellowship Hall. All are welcome.
  • Santa Fe Trail Celebration Team: We are looking for people willing to help support our booth at the Santa Fe Trail Celebration scheduled for June 13-14. A sign-up sheet is posted in the Fellowship Hall. We need help with set up and tear down, as well as with staffing, and with special activities. If you have questions, please let Terri Watson, T.M. Garner, or Vicar Lisa know.
  • PRIDE Sunday: June 22 is PRIDE Sunday please join us for this special service of inclusion.
  • Newsletter: The June edition of the Zion’s Newsletter Connections was sent last week via email. Copies are in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall and an electronic copy can be downloaded from our website.
  • Flower Chart: Remember to use the new flower chart to sign up for Sunday flowers. A gift of $35 is suggested for flower donations.
  • Worship Assistance Needed: Are you able to serve as an usher, communion preparation and clean up volunteer, or lector — for the summer months. The summer assistants’ list (July to September) will be distributed June 15. If you are interested in helping in one of these worship roles, please let Vicar Lisa or Jo Moss know.

E-formation – Day of Pentecost, June 8

This coming Sunday is Pentecost, the fiftieth day of Easter, and we keep the resurrection of Christ by celebrating the Spirit of the risen Christ in our midst. Jesus Christ has not gone away but is here with us: we stand to greet him and hear his words in the gospel reading, and we share in his body in the meal.

John 14:8-17 [25-27]

In this excerpt from the farewell discourses (chap. 14–17), the fourth evangelist proclaims early trinitarian theology: God Father, experienced in the life of Jesus, is now operative through the Spirit of truth. Referring to God as Father was rare among Jews but commonplace in Roman paganism, in which Jupiter was “Father of fathers.” “In my name” means under the authority of. “Advocate” is the NRSV translation of parakletos, a Greek term for one’s advocate in court, a legal mediator. Advocate is a divine title found in the New Testament only in the Johannine literature. The passage conveys to the late first-century community that although Jesus is no longer present with them, God’s power through the Spirit is.

Acts 2:1-21

Once again Luke presents a narrative to convey theological meaning. The fire and wind, associated with God’s presence on Mount Sinai, are now experienced in the assembly of believers, and miraculous events, seen in the ministry of Jesus, occur now in the church. Acts is moving the church into all the ends of the earth and Acts 2 begins this multilingual proclamation. Luke cites the apocalyptic vision of the prophet Joel to authenticate the power of God among the leaders of the church. By “tongues” Luke refers to actual languages that were spoken in the Greco-Roman world.

Romans 8:14-17

One of the seminal letters written by Paul, addressed to the church in Rome in about 57, Romans contains one of the earliest theological expositions of the Christian faith and lays out the relationship between Jews and those who are baptized into Christ. In the Old Testament, “spirit of God” is one way to speak of God’s continuing activity. Paul’s version of trinitarian theology is decades earlier than John’s. For Paul, the Spirit is described as separate from Christ, the on-going power of the risen Christ made known in the community of believers. Most scholars concur that “Abba” was a child’s address, literally not “father” but “papa, daddy.”

Zion's Lutheran Church

A Reconciling in Christ Community

zionsluth@gmail.com

719-846-7785