June 6, 2025 

Today's Reading: Introit for Pentecost - Psalm 104:24, 27-28, 30; antiphon: Liturgical Text

Daily Lectionary: Numbers 20:1-21; Luke 20:19-44

“Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Alleluia.” (Liturgical text)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

What’s in your heart? If you’re honest with yourself, most of it’s not pretty! There’s a good chance there’s some anger toward your parents or teachers in there. Probably also some jealousy toward your friends or classmates who have newer cars, or bigger homes, or are smarter or more athletic than you. And I’m sure if you dug deep, you could find much uglier stuff than that.

Not that this should surprise us. God’s Word has plenty to say about our sinful hearts. Do you remember what God said before He told Noah to build the ark? “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5). Or how about Jesus, when He said, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander,” (Matthew 15:19)? There’s plenty of sin in each of our hearts.

Thankfully, God has promised to put something else into our hearts. “And I will give them one heart, and a new spirit I will put within them” (Ezekiel 11:19). That new spirit God promises to put in our hearts is none other than His own Holy Spirit!

This is why Pentecost is such a big deal! The Father and the Son send forth the Holy Spirit so that God Himself can come and fill our hearts, just as we pray in the Introit for the day. Here, we learn that all three Persons of the Trinity work in perfect harmony and unity to grant us salvation. The Father sends His only-begotten Son. The Son lives, dies, and rises for our salvation. And the Father and Son send us the Spirit through Jesus’ Word and Sacraments to create and sustain faith in our hearts, a faith which clings to the promise of forgiveness in Jesus.

So even though our hearts are filled with sin and will be as long as we live, we don’t despair. The Holy Spirit resides in our hearts, too! This means that we live as redeemed children of God, knowing that Christ has washed away our sin and won’t count them against us.

And if that weren’t enough, the Holy Spirit changes our sinful hearts as He dwells in them. By His power, we learn to truly love. “We love God because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). And, because we learn to love God, we also begin to love one another (1 John 4:7). No wonder the Church prays, “Come, Holy Spirit!” 

 In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord, with all your graces now outpoured On each believer’s mind and heart; Your fervent love to them impart. (LSB 497:1)

- Rev. Aric Fenske, pastor of Grace Lutheran Church and Trinity Lutheran Church in Bear Creek, WI.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, KY.

Andrew R. Jones identifies ten lies Satan uses in attempts to dismantle God’s people and His kingdom. Find encouragement in God's Word of Truth and remember the final victory we have in our Savior, Jesus Christ.