John 16:12-15 (NRSV)
Read John 16:12-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. Verse 13When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. Verse 14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. Verse 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Devotion
The Holy Spirit came to the church on Pentecost, just as that Spirit came to the disciples after the resurrection when Jesus breathed on them. He came to each one of us when we were baptized. Our reading today reminds us that this Spirit within will guide us into the truth.
What does this mean for us? Martin Luther puts it this way in the third article of the creed in his Small Catechism: "I believe that I cannot by my own understanding or strength believe in Jesus Christ my Lord or come to him, but instead the Holy Spirit has called me through the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, made me holy, and kept me in the true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens, and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it united with Jesus Christ in the one common, true faith . . . This is most certainly true."
Prayer
We take our prayer from the words of ELW hymn 395: "Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord, with all your graces now outpoured on each believer’s mind and heart; your fervent love to us impart." Amen.