May 24, 2026 Sermon-- Pastor Paula Canby [John 20:19-23]

Today's gospel is read in Spanish by Pastor Canby.

Transcript

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de hoy is the evangelio de juan capítulo 20 versículos 10 a 9 a 33 cuando llegó a noche del aquel mismo día el primero de la semana están las puertas cerradas en la lugar donde los discípulos estaban reunidos por miedo de los judíos llegó jesus y puesto en miedo les dijo paz a dios dicho esto les mostró las manos y el costado y los disciples se recogeron y al señor entonces isus les dijo otra vez pause a vosotros como se envió el fatre you may be seated today is pentecost for me this is a very special day and really it's a very special day in the church that's why we're wearing red and thank you for everyone who remembered to wear red today because this is an honor to the Lord for those of you who haven't met me before I'm Pastor Paula Canby I serve at Trinity Lutheran Church in Chamberlain. I've been there about a year and a half so I'm new I'm new to South Dakota I'm new to here I live here but I commute to Chamberlain and it's really great to be with you again I was here uh a few weeks ago and I'll be back in two weeks let us pray Lord God go from here as God's chosen people as God's royal priesthood as God's holy nation as God's very own people granted the power of the Holy Spirit through the wind and the fire go proclaiming the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light who gave new hope and new life here and hereafter. Amen so I hope you notice the balloons and the building itself and I say from God it's truly a gift because we see the wind that's moving those lames or balloons or whatever you want to call them. But the point is it's the Holy Spirit that's with us that's taking care of us protecting us leading us guiding us giving us wisdom praise God for that because every day we have the Holy Spirit with us and that's what we're celebrating today is the Holy Spirit being with us. Think about our passage from Acts the passage from 1 Corinthians and our gospel reading from John each of them talks about the Holy Spirit in a very distinct way each of them talks about the Holy Spirit that being said they are all in harmony on one point. When the Holy Spirit comes things change as David Lois one of my former professors from Luther Seminary describes Acts might be the easy one any ideas about that the gospel was limited to the disciples found in Jerusalem is certainly destroyed when we read all the nationalities of the people present for the descending of the Holy Spirit think about all the languages that were present that day when the Holy Spirit descended onto the disciples and all those people scholars on the book of Acts point out that all those involved in this passage were Jews from the diaspora returning to Jerusalem to worship. There weren't any Gentiles yet all Jews nevertheless I think John's theology is clear what the disciples and the apostles have been learning while they lived and traveled with Jesus and what they've been waiting for in these last ten days since ascension it's way way bigger than any of them thought or realized and as we know this was just the beginning exciting the church coming into being in the first Corinthians passage the spirit indeed comes to help but it is to help us name those needs and desires too deep for words that are found in our very soul the whole world including those of us with the spirit Paul makes clear groans with anticipation and struggle as we wait for Jesus' return. The spirit helps us name these pangs but it doesn't take them away in John Jesus talks about the coming of the advocate whom we also call the comforter and we talked about you talked about last week but the spirit comes to testify that we might testify often to a hostile world Pentecost in the words of James Boyce one of my other professors from seminary stands at the conclusion of Easter's reflection on the promise of resurrection and as a transition to the season of Trinity which we will start to embrace next Sunday with Holy Trinity Sunday because now no more Christ is risen hallelujah not till next year anyway today we are invited to think about the assurance of the resurrection promises made real in the various dimensions of Christian life and mission abundant life do you remember if you were here a couple of weeks ago on Good Shepherd Sunday when I was here we read from the 23rd Psalm it is the promise of the unfolding love of God abundant life is shown in the glory that is for us the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ it tells us that we are enough we are acceptable we are worthy we are worthy of love respect dignity God loves us just the way we are we perfect no we are God's creation and God loves us nevertheless and today on Pentecost the abiding presence of the Spirit confirms that promise in our hearts and sends us into our communities and into the world to bear witness to the good news of Jesus Christ why does Jesus the good shepherd lay down his life Jesus comes to reveal that God loves the whole world no exceptions you know was interesting because this week I was called to be a juror on Wednesday and then I was selected and so I listened to a case of a man who was in jail and was being accused of some things that man is loved by God and I sat there and I thought about that in all the testimony from the different people who came as witnesses all those people loved by God coming from different ways the attorneys the judge all those staff that were working in that courtroom loved by God it's really important that we remember that especially when we come in contact with somebody who's different than we are they are loved by God loves the whole world no exceptions and life is abundant when the Lord is my shepherd I'm just reminding you of those words again today because they are so important we hear that promise in the witness in the opening verses of today's lesson Jesus says when the advocate comes have you seen the advocate around here think about that has the advocate come to you personally I bet yes whether you realize it or not whether you see the advocate at work in your life that's when we the Holy Spirit is really at work is when we can see that we have the awareness of the Holy Spirit being in our life here's a few ways that I've seen and heard the Holy Spirit in this church three years ago when I came to visit my son who lives in here I was part of the vacation Bible school that was truly a wonderful experience I'm so thankful that I did that. And last time I was here one of the women who were part of that remembered me and came and talked with me I think that was the Holy Spirit at work and that was really really a special greeting for me personally that was the Holy Spirit at work everybody who works and does anything in the church how about our musician and the one who came to play for the three young women who sang today and the volunteers who read the scriptures will do anything for Marlene up here who counts the money that's the Holy Spirit at work sending her to give her that work and do it. And of course we have Rod oh my gosh this guy is just really blessed with the Holy Spirit I just feel so privileged to be able to work with him when I come here what a blessing what a blessing the care concern the prayers for all the people who are sick and having surgery the ones that you're praying for at home not necessarily all that we pray for here you have a very short list compared to our list at Trinity believe me I'm thankful you don't have very many sick people it's really wonderful woo so in each case the Spirit's presence is as disruptive as it is comforting why because resurrection isn't more of the same it's life from death from our psalm for today when you hide your face they are dismayed when you take away their breath they die and return to their dust when you send forth your spirit they are created and you renew the face of the ground this change stuff is hard it makes us nervous I remember a year ago in July when I came to South Dakota I really didn't know anyone except for my two cousins here and my son and my grandson sure didn't know any people in this church and I sure didn't know any people in the church in Chamberlain. I didn't know anyone basically the culture was so different from Maryland oh my goodness my son's a commercial crabber he's catching crabs not growing crops and cows and goats and chickens I am sure some of you were thinking would there be change? What kind of change will there be when would the change come when you've been going through those times of change I look around today at this group I'm sure we have all experienced change some has been difficult because there were many memories from the past and some of those memories were lots of fun and happy and some hurt and they bring pain. The Holy Spirit we celebrate on Pentecost has a way of not only shaking things up but also granting the courage and the confidence to see through these things to see us through these changes. Today we look at our at this church and are at peace with most of the changes that have been happening. Praise God I know that we can all look at our lives and see changes that have happened and even though it was hard to go through we also know that things are better and we are better for all the changes. For this reason we need to pray perhaps now more than ever come Holy Spirit I close with another portion of our psalm for today may the glory of the Lord endure forever. May the Lord rejoice in his works who looks on the earth and it trembles who touches the mountains and they smoke I will sing to the Lord as long as I live I will sing praise to my God while I have my being may my meditation be pleasing to you for I rejoice in you the Lord let sinners be consumed from the earth and let the wicked be no more bless the Lord oh my soul praise the Lord amen