There is part of the funeral service that usually takes place at the cemetery when the pastor places his hand on the casket, usually right over the deceased’s head, and he says, “May God the Father who created this body, may God the Son who by his blood redeemed this body, may God the Holy Spirit who by Holy Baptism made this body to be his temple, keep these remains until the day of the resurrection of all flesh.” I find that moment to be deeply significant. It is a brass tacks moment.

            Some day you will die. Me, too. In that moment it won’t matter how good you were, how generous you were, how many little old ladies you helped cross the street; it also won’t matter how rotten you were, how many lies you told, or how many cats you kicked. If those things won’t matter, what will matter?

            God – his mercy and salvation in Christ. Jesus’ death and resurrection will matter. And the Holy Spirit’s work to make you a temple – a place where he dwells, a place to proclaim Jesus’ salvation, a place where prayer happens, a presence that tells everyone that God is with us. He makes us into the contact point where God meets people. In the end this is what matters: what God has done for you.

            Now, did I just say that it’s okay to lie, kick cats, and generally lead a rotten life? No, I did not. Jesus said, “If anyone loves me that person will keep my word ….” In other words, we are going to take Jesus’ teaching into our hearts and it will shape and guide how we live. It also means that we are going to guard and hold on to the message Jesus proclaimed. We will cling to what Jesus said about sin and grace. We will hold on to the message that this world stands condemned (John 3:18-19) but God in his love sent our Savior to be condemned to the cross for us and to set us free from sin, death, and the power of the devil. We will treasure the message that while this world is dominated by death, the Son of God has risen from the dead and has given us a new life.

            The problem is that we forget these things so easily. We get wrapped up in our work, our woes, and our daily lives. Jesus knew that these things pull at our hearts and cry for our attention so he sent a Helper to teach us and remind us all about how he has overcome the world and given us hope and peace. The Holy Spirit takes Jesus’ word – which is also the Father’s word – did you catch that in the reading? The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect harmony. The Holy Spirit takes Jesus’ word and he applies it to us, and the result of the Spirit’s work is that we have peace.

            It is not that we won’t have troubles. We talked about that a couple weeks ago. Jesus said, “In this world you will have troubles, but take heart, I have overcome the world.” Jesus’ victory allows us to take heart, the Holy Spirit applies that message – that word – to you and gives you peace in the midst of the trouble. So when Jesus says, “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid,” this isn’t a command to get our act together and pull ourselves out of our fear. Instead, it is a word of encouragement because we are not alone. The Holy Spirit is our Helper, and he does not abandon us.

            That word that is translated, “Helper,” can also be translated “Comforter.” This is also part of why we can have peace, because the Holy Spirit is always at work reminding us that Jesus has both died and risen. He is always pointing us away from ourselves – our sins as well as the good we do – he points us away from these things and toward the cross.

            As our bodies break down and we near death, he is there reminding us that our sins are forgiven for Jesus’ sake, that Jesus will come to us, and that because Jesus is risen from the dead we too will rise to eternal life.

            When our relationships break and we get estranged from our loved ones, the Spirit draws us back to Jesus’ forgiveness to empower us to forgive one another and to be reconciled.

            When we feel broken, abandoned, worthless, and depressed, it is the Holy Spirit who brings to mind the word of God’s love, faithfulness, protection, and comfort to give us peace.

            On Pentecost Sunday, we remember that God poured the Holy Spirit out on the Apostles in a powerful and miraculous way. We celebrate the appearance of the Spirit in tongues of fire and the amazing way they Apostles preached about Jesus’ resurrection in different languages – languages which they had never learned! Those events fulfilled – at least in part – the promise that Jesus made in our Gospel reading.

            On Pentecost Sunday, we should also remember that God has poured his Holy Spirit out on you. You were filled with the Holy Spirit when you were baptized, The Spirit continues to fill you through hearing Jesus’ word – from Genesis to Revelation, it’s all Jesus’ word, and it all speaks of him! That same Spirit gives you Jesus’ word to be his witnesses and to share the hope that is within you because of Jesus’ death and resurrection – hope of forgiveness, everlasting life, change, holiness, peace, and more!

You may never speak in the tongues the way the Apostles did, and if there is a flame over your head you probably need to stop, drop and roll. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is your Helper. He is your Comforter. He is constantly applying Jesus’ forgiveness and salvation to your life. He is always prompting and empowering you to keep Jesus’ word so you can live by it – both as a guide, but also as the message of new life. He is also present in you so that others can experience God’s peace and forgiveness through you.

It’s easy to think that this is all for us – Jesus’ sacrifice, the forgiveness, the peace, the hope, the new life – even the presence of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes we don’t want to talk to others about Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection, and we give the impression that the things we cherish here are solely for our benefit. The Holy Spirit reminds us today that while this is for our benefit – the cross is for us, and we desperately need it! – it is not solely for us. So the Spirit goes with us back into our Monday-through-Saturday lives. He goes to be present with us, and through us he is present for the world to proclaim that Jesus is risen from the dead and to draw all people to faith in Jesus.

I want you to notice something today. In our sin and brokenness, Jesus came to us to save us. In our day-to-day lives the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in us and among us. When we think about all the gifts that God gives us – one of the greatest has to be that he gives us himself. In his love for us he comes to us. Consider that for a moment. Now think of this. Through us, God comes to our neighbors. What a gift the Holy Spirit is! God comes to us, and, through us, he comes to the world as we share Jesus’ word. Thanks be to God! Amen.