It’s not too hard to envision God the Father. In your mind you can see the Ancient of Days on his sapphire throne, timeless, all-powerful, attended by legions of angels, and serene. It’s really easy to imagine Jesus Christ, his Son, for he took human flesh and walked our dusty streets. But the Spirit—he has no shape or easy visibility. When he acted in human history, he was manifested in fire and wind that did not destroy and as a dove. Hmm. Hard to pray to a bird.

Since it’s so hard to imagine the Spirit, Christians tend to pray directly to him less. But his unique work within the Trinity is absolutely vital to us, our families, and the church. It is the Spirit who takes Christ’s work of redemption for the world and brings it to us personally. It is he who encoded the Word of God into writing by inspiring the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation. 

Through the power of the Word he converted you, made you to be born again. It is his power in Baptism and the Lord’s Supper that builds saving faith in our hearts and minds. “No one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:3). What a magnificent gift! Thank the Spirit for his wonderful work within you. Even more important, let him continue to build your faith through Word and Supper.

The Spirit who powered Pentecost once is still at work today.