April 18, 2016

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

“What does this mean?
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 true 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. In this Christian church He daily and richly forgives all my sins and the sins of all believers.” (Martin Luther’s explanation of the Third Article of the Apostle’s Creed – Small Catechism)

“For neither you nor I could ever know anything of Christ, or believe on Him, and obtain Him for our Lord, unless it were offered to us and granted to our hearts by the Holy Ghost through the preaching of the Gospel. The work is done and accomplished; for Christ has acquired and gained the treasure for us by His suffering, death, resurrection, etc.” (Large Catechism)

If you were to remember one of the three Articles of the Apostle’s Creed, this would be the one, because it is so important to our Lutheran Faith understanding. It is our belief that we cannot come to faith through our own efforts, but only through the presence of the Holy Spirit – which comes to us through the Gospel. And how are we exposed to the Gospel? We become “Gospelized” when we read the word, hear the Word preached, and partake in the Sacraments which serve to fill us with the presence of Jesus. Through this exposure to the Gospel, the Holy Spirit works within each one of us to build faith – to hear our calling to use our gifts – and to be gathered with the community of the faithful where we forgive each other and receive forgiveness. This is why I pray that the Holy Spirit washes over you to fill you with the presence of the Spirit.

Pastor Dave