In the fifteenth chapter of his gospel St. John quotes Jesus as saying, “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me” (v. 26). Soon afterwards, in the sixteenth chapter of the same gospel, ..
A free sermon series by David Schmitt for the Pentecost season
In celebration of Pentecost, we reprise two reflections by Dr. David Maxwell on the “sound” of the Holy Spirit. The first is a sound recording of a chapel sermon on Acts 2 from 2005, asking the very question, “What sound does the Holy Spirit make?”. The second is a video of Dr. Maxwell on the ..
How Bach transforms, as only Bach can, an ancient hymn to the Holy Spirit
By Andrew Bartelt We find ourselves at the third great festival day (LSB 489), having celebrated the resurrection and the ascension of our Lord. Our text takes us to the night he was betrayed, as Jesus anticipates what we now remember as having happened. He is preparing his disciples—and us—for resurrection life after his resurrection ..
Prof. Bill Carr discusses the Old Testament pericope for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 5), in the Year B lectionary
By Kent Burreson The Feast Day of Pentecost is the fiftieth day of the Easter season, the eighth day beyond the seven weeks of seven days. It is the culmination of the joyous, uninterrupted feast of the resurrection of Christ Jesus. It is the end of the beginning (the celebration of the risen Christ among his people) and ..
Jumping ahead of the Easter season (when the first reading is taken from Acts), Prof. Bill Carr discusses the Old Testament pericope for the Day of Pentecost, in the Year B lectionary
By William Wrede Gift giving frequently accompanies celebrations. The birth of a child, the joining of man in woman in marriage, confirmation, graduation, and the like are all occasions for giving and receiving gifts. Some gifts are received with great joy and gratitude. Some gifts have caused recipients to express gratitude while simultaneously thinking of how that gift might ..
By William Carr What in the world is going on? English versions seem so pedestrian, e.g., “When the day of Pentecost arrived” (ESV) or, simply, “came” (NIV and others). Though the verb συμπληροω occurs only three times (Lk 8:23; 9:51; and here), there is more to the arrival of Pentecost than flipping the calendar to ..
By Robert W. Weise New Life and New Hope in Christ General Comments: During my tenure as a parish pastor and currently serving as an interim pastor, I hear, “What’s the use? This world is turned upside down. The economy is in a tailspin, gas prices are going up along with many food items, power ..
Looking backward and forward in the present
ESV Acts 2:41 So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Whenever I hear pastors and other Christians discuss this verse, often around Pentecost Sunday, someone wonders out loud “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Holy Spirit still worked so emphatically in our world today? ..
