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The Holy Spirit ENLIGHTENS UsJohn 1:6-8, 19-28 Two weeks ago, we began the season of Advent and started our countdown to Christmas, the countdown to celebrating that Jesus has entered into the world. We started lighting the candles of our Advent wreath and we began preparing our hearts to receive Jesus. And with 3 candles lit, we are getting closer and closer. As part of our Advent preparation, in our sermons, we are focusing on the work of the Holy Spirit in the world…what God, in the form of the Holy Spirit, is doing to aid the suffering of God’s children. To aid us in our thinking about the Holy Spirit, we’re using the teachings of Martin Luther in his little basics-of-the-faith instruction manual called the Small Catechism. In this little book, he explains the basics of what Christians believe about the role or tasks of the Holy Spirit. He says that the Holy Spirits calls us, gathers us together, enlightens us, and sanctifies us. Sanctifies is just a fancy word that means, makes us holy and presentable to God. Anyway, today our focus is on how the Holy Spirit enlightens us. I’m not sure why, but when I think of the word “enlighten”, my mind immediately goes to some Buddhist monk sitting in Tibet or something offering wisdom to all who come by. Perhaps its because the name Buddha, really means, “the enlightened one.” But while this is where my mind first goes, its not necessary what enlightened really means. Enlighten just means to bring light to something, and as it relates to the Holy Spirit, I think this enlightening comes in two important ways. Was anyone ever scared of the dark as a kid? Or maybe you still are as an adult? Go ahead, raise your hand if you were or are scared of the dark. I know, as a kid, I was. Who knows what monsters lurked in the darkness under my bed or in my closet and would come out to eat me as soon as my mom turned out the lights in my bedroom? Yep, I was scared of the dark as a kid, and so the simple solution to keeping those monsters at bay was a simple nightlight. Something to ward off the darkness just a little bit, just enough to give me hope. I’m sure if you’re a parent and your child is afraid of those same monsters, those little nightlights can be a real lifesaver. Well, when you get older, the monsters are no longer limited to under the bed or in the shadows. As you get older, the monsters come in the form of cancer, of being laid off, of your spouse leaving you, of abuse or addictions, and who knows what else. Unfortunately, these monsters are not just imaginary, and they really do hurt and can even kill you. And it is when we are facing these monsters in our lives that the Holy Spirit steps in and offers us a little light. For it is the Holy Spirit that reveals Jesus to us. In the Gospel of John, John the Baptist is one of the most powerful voices of the Holy Spirit, one of the ways that the Holy Spirit becomes incarnate, or enfleshed, in the world. It says in John 1:6-8, “There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning the Light, so that through him all people might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to every person was coming into the world.” This light that the Spirit was witnessing to through John the Baptist was foretold hundreds of years before in the prophet Isaiah. Here’s what Isaiah had to say about that light in chapter 61. He writes, “The Spirit (or Holy Spirit) of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to comfort all who mourn, and to provide for those who grieve.” Jesus is the nightlight in our dark world. He is the one who gives us hope, and helps us battle those monsters. During his life he healed those with disease, he helped reconcile relationships, he comforted those who were grieving, he fed the hungry, he brought the dead back to life, and he managed to bring hope wherever he went. And through the work of the Holy Spirit, he is still doing those things today. Jesus Christ was and is the light in a dark world. When the Holy Spirit enlightens us, the Spirit is pointing us to Jesus, just as John the Baptist did. The Spirit is the one who plugs in the nightlight and says, “See, those monsters are scared of this light. They can’t eat you anymore.” This is the first way that the Spirit works to enlighten us and the world – by pointing us to the true light of the world: Jesus Christ. And the second way that the Holy Spirit enlightens us is by giving us gifts, talents, and passions to share with others. The Spirit isn’t just like a sign on the side of the road pointing to Jesus, the Spirit is more like a good friend who grabs us by the hand and says, “Here, follow me, let’s go together.” The Spirit puts the scriptures in our hands, calls us to prayer, infuses us with talents and ideas and energy to burn brightly in the world, lighting the way for others to see Jesus inside of us. The Spirit encourages us, and surrounds us with other believers so that we can help each other burn brightly for Jesus. The Holy Spirit is a flame that touches each of our hearts and then asks us to share that light with the rest of the world. And our response to being touched with the Holy Spirit is to protect that flame, to rekindle it, and not let it go out because there is certainly that potential. We can let go of our friend’s hand and say, “No thanks.” We can ignore our gifts and talents or use them for evil instead of good. We can decide to go it alone, be selfish with our time & money, or not participate in any sort of Christian community – either for our own support or to help support others. A member of a certain church, who previously had been attending services regularly stopped going. After a few weeks, the preacher decided to visit him. It was a chilly evening. The preacher found the man at home alone, sitting before a blazing fire. Guessing the reason for his preacher’s visit, the man welcomed him, led him to a comfortable chair near the fireplace and waited. The preacher made himself at home but said nothing. In the grave silence, he contemplated the dance of the flames around the burning logs. After some minutes, the preacher took the fire tongs, carefully picked up a brightly burning ember and placed it to one side of the hearth - all alone. Then he sat back in his chair, still silent. The host watched all this in quiet contemplation. As the one lone ember’s flame flickered and diminished, there was a momentary glow and then its fire was no more. Soon it was cold and dead. Not a word had been spoken since the initial greeting. The preacher glanced at his watch and realized it was time to leave. He slowly stood up, picked up the cold, dead ember and placed it back in the middle of the fire. Immediately it began to glow, once more with the light and warmth of the burning coals around it. As the preach reached the door to leave, his host said with a tear running down his cheek, “Thank-you so much for your visit and especially for the fiery sermon. I shall be back in church next Sunday.” St. Paul pleads with us, “Do not put out the Spirit’s fire.” The true light is coming into the world. The monsters are getting scared. During this time of Advent preparation allow yourself to be rekindled, to be enlightened by the Holy Spirit, and be ready for Jesus to burn in you brightly when he comes again. Amen.
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