The Scriptural basis for our sermon this morning is the story of the Tower of Babel. That story represents the pinnacle of man’s arrogance to live apart from God. It reminds us of how self centered we can be and how that self-centeredness separates us from each other, and shows us the futility and arrogance of the sin of being self-centered.

Beginning back in Advent, and all the way through Ascension Day, the appointed readings have centered on shown us the work of God through the ministry of Jesus. We have seen how Jesus accomplished the plan for the salvation of fallen man. In other words, we saw Jesus, week by week, establish his church on earth, through his incarnation and birth, the revelation of his divinity, and his final journey to Jerusalem. We saw his suffering and death on the cross, his miraculous exit from the tomb, and the fulfillment of his work and return to the Father.

Now on Pentecost, the work of God takes on a slightly different role. Now God’s primary work is to gather his people, people now scattered over the face of the earth, to that church established by Jesus.

Nothing will get in the way of this gathering. Not language barriers, not ridicule, not the enormity of the task for even a tiny band of Spirit empowered laborers. God’s good and gracious will is the salvation of all men, and through the Spirit, he draws his scattered sheep to the Church.

Today we observe the Day of Pentecost, which focuses specifically on the work of the Holy Spirit. If you’re like many Christians, you are probably a bit fuzzy on a complete understanding of just exactly who the Holy Spirit is and just exactly what it is he does.

Today, as we observe the Day of Pentecost, I’m going to base most of this sermon on the hymn we just sang; "To God the Holy Spirit Let us Pray." We’ll look at the words of each verse consider how those words help us understand more of about the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

So, just who are we addressing and what are we asking when we sing "To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray"?

The first verse goes:

To God the Holy Spirit let us pray

For the true faith needed on our way

That He may defend us when life is ending

And from exile home we are wending.

Lord, have mercy!

The words of the first line let us know that the Holy Spirit is God – a person of the triune Godhead. Proof of that is found in Genesis 1, where we’re told that the Holy Spirit was present at creation: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."

Jesus’ own words shortly before he ascended back to heaven mention all three persons of the triune Godhead, when he says in Matthew 28: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." He, Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit is God because he’s named right along with the other two persons of the Trinity.

And, as a last example, Peter, in the early days of Pentecost, catches someone in a lie. A man by the name of Ananias had tried to deceive the church by making it appear that he was giving a bigger offering than he truly was. But it turned out it wasn’t just the church he was trying to deceive. Notice Peter’s words: "Peter said, ‘Ananias, why has satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit? … You have not lied to men but to God.’ "

So the Holy Spirit is God, worthy of our prayers. And in the first verse of this wonderful hymn, we’re told to pray to him, above all else, "for the true faith needed on our way."

But how often do we pray for the faith we need to get through each day? Don’t we usually pray for stuff? But here in this hymn, the top request, the top priority in our prayers is a prayer for faith.

Faith is the greatest gift we can have. It’s truly the only thing we can take with us to heaven. All the other stuff we bite, scratch, and claw to get remains behind when eternity comes upon us. Like the old adage goes, you never see a U-Haul in a funeral procession.

It truly is "By grace through faith," as St. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8, that we are saved. "It is the gift of God." And it’s God the Holy Spirit who gives us that most precious gift on the way that leads to eternal life.

The last three lines of the first verse say:

That He may defend us when life is ending

And from exile home we are wending. Lord have mercy!

How beautiful is that? Here’s God himself, in the person of the Holy Spirit, watching out for us, defending us, up to and through the point of our earthly death.

As baptized children of God, our real home isn’t here on earth. Our real home is heaven and as we’re traveling through this exile here on earth, the Holy Spirit is watching over us, defending us from the devil.

The second verse continues the wonderful lyrics:

O sweetest Love, Your grace on us bestow;

Set our hearts with sacred fire aglow

That with hearts united we love each other,

Ev’ry stranger, sister and brother.

Lord, have mercy!

Did you catch the name used for the Holy Spirit? O sweetest Love! Each of us is loved by the Holy Spirit, and we ask that by his grace "our hearts would be with sacred fire aglow." We ask the Lord to chase the darkness of sin out of our hearts. He answers that prayer by the fire of his love – cleansing us from the thoughts and actions that are naturally in our hearts.

And notice what results from the work of the Spirit: Our hearts are united with love for each other. A result of the Spirit’s work is that through faith, we are all sisters and brothers. Through the work of the Holy Spirit, St. Paul’s words to the Galatians become a reality:

"For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise."

The third verse continues;

Transcendent Comfort in our ev’ry need,

Help us neither scorn nor death to heed

That we may not falter nor courage fail us

When the foe shall taunt and assail us.

Lord, have mercy!

In the first line, we again address the Holy Spirit. This time we call him comfort, and that’s what he does! He transcends. He comes from heaven to earth and comforts us in all our needs and problems. He gives us strength so we won’t falter or lose courage.

Hear what St. Peter wrote about the courage that the Spirit gives his people:

"Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you also may rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you ….. yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in that name."

They say that whenever Dr. Luther felt the onslaught of the devil trying to get him to question God’s love for him and to doubt his eternal salvation, Dr. Luther would simply say to himself: "But I am baptized!"

With those four simple words, recalled all that the Holy Spirit had done for him and had given him, when he, and all Christians, for that matter were baptized. In Baptism, the Holy Spirit gave us every good thing there is to receive. He graciously gives us faith in Christ, which gives us the forgiveness of sins earned by him on the blessed cross.

With that forgiveness comes reconciliation with God, so that the almighty, all loving, and all wise Father is no longer prevented from giving his dear children everything he desires to give, including nothing less than eternal life.

The fourth verse of this hymn is just as good, if not better than the first three:

Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light;

Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright

That we may abide in the Lord who bought us,

Till to our true home he has brought us.

Lord, have mercy!

Here, we Christians plead the Holy Spirit to "shine in our hearts" with the "precious light" of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, who is the light of the world. We ask the Holy Spirit to "teach us Jesus Christ" that we would know him correctly. This verse begs the Spirit of Christ to give us clarity of vision and understanding as we hear the Word of God.

This is the chief work of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s task is to reveal to us Jesus Christ, God’s love in action for us by Jesus on the cross, suffering and dying in our place, for us, for our sins. Through the Spirit’s work we see God’s incredible plan for our salvation. We see Jesus’ righteousness traded for our sins.

Preserved in our faith until life’s end, we are able to "realize the outcome of our faith, the salvation of our souls." We are then delivered "to our true home", there to live in perfect peace forever. Thanks be to God! Amen.