Ask the man on the street to name the three great festivals of the Christian Church and chances are good he'll have little trouble coming up with Christmas and Easter. But mention of a third festival is likely to draw a blank stare.

That third festival of Pentecost is as important however as God the Father's Christmas gift of His Son, and Christ's Easter victory over sin and death. For if it were not for the work of the Holy Spirit, none of us would know of or believe in God's gracious plan of salvation in Christ.

The Holy Spirit works in a quiet and low-key way-through Word and sacraments-but He accomplishes great things. The Small Catechism's explanation of the Third Article sums it up by using four verbs to describe the Spirit's saving work: "the Holy Ghost has called me by the gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, sanctified, and kept me in the true faith."

For every one of us, the circumstances surrounding coming to faith were no doubt somewhat different. It may have been by baptism in infancy or later through the Word that we were called and invited. But in each case it was an invitation to accept a message that would have otherwise seemed foolish to us had the Holy Spirit not called and enlightened us. Who would have trusted in the unlikely plan of a substitute suffering and dying in our stead? Only the Holy Spirit could bring us to trust in such a message.

And now, having accepted that message, we have been enabled to reflect a measure of holiness and righteousness in our own lives, thanks to the sanctifying work of the Spirit, who also keeps us in the faith. Without the Holy Spirit to preserve us, we would long ago have fallen prey to the devil, the world, and our own sinful flesh.

The unregenerate world will not recognize these mighty deeds the Holy Spirit quietly does day in and day out. And it's unlikely that we will ever be able to go to the card shop and buy cards for Pentecost, as we do for Christmas and Easter. That need not, however, keep us from honouring the Holy Spirit with our worship on the festival of Pentecost-and from thanking the Spirit for His work throughout the rest of the year.

In His service,

Pastor Richard A. Frey