In the midst of all the uncertainty and anxiousness of this world, thanks be to God that He has poured out the Holy Spirit upon His Church! It is the work of the Holy Spirit to write the preached Word into our hearts so that we might be comforted by the truth of the Gospel. Without the Spirit, given to us in the waters of Holy Baptism, we could not know the truth or enter the kingdom of heaven. We would be lost forever unless the Spirit of Christ, who gives us the life of Christ, was bestowed upon us. But we have been born again of water and the Spirit according to the gracious will of God. We have the Holy Spirit who testifies to us the truth of our salvation through Jesus’ death and resurrection. And it is the Spirit who continues to draw us back to Christ, back to His Word and promises, back to His gifts of Baptism and Holy Communion so that we might be daily refreshed and strengthened in the true faith. It is the Holy Spirit who works in our hearts that we might resist the sinful desires of the flesh and the temptations of the devil and the world. May God the Holy Spirit daily work in us all a fervent desire for the things of Christ and our salvation. I look forward to seeing you all this Sunday as we celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church on the Day of Pentecost.
Pastor Ulmer
