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Brothers and since this last week in
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honor of the first ecumenical council we
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spoke on the teachings of the Nicene
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Creed about the Trinity in general and
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about Christ in particular on the day of
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Pentecost it is fitting that we complete
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our teaching on the Nicene Creed by
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discussing the third person of the Holy
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Trinity the Holy Spirit in addition to
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the nature of the church when we speak
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about the father it seems as if we have
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plenty to discuss likewise when we speak
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about the Sun we have the entirety of
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the four Gospels to discuss when it
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comes to the Holy Spirit however
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sometimes it can feel as if that
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interaction is confined to seeing that
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him to the Holy Spirit our Heavenly King
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when we speak on the Holy Spirit in the
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creature we speak on how the Holy Spirit
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has its own distinctive to the Father
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and the son yet are still fundamentally
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the same that is the Holy Spirit also is
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God and has always existed every words
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that in explicitly during class ministry
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in the same way that we spoke last week
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that the son is begotten of the father
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we can speak this week or that the Holy
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Spirit proceeds from the father in
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contrast to many denominations who
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recite the Creed by saying that the Holy
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Spirit proceeds from the father and from
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the son that famous of Filioque
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controversy the author of church has
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held and preserved not only the original
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words of the Creed not only the original
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words of the council but also a tenant
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of Trinitarian theology that each person
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of the Trinity is unique and distinct
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that the father is a Fountainhead and a
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source of the Trinity the son is
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begotten of the father while the Holy
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Spirit proceeds from the father all are
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united a Trinity in the attend unity in
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Trinity much of the remainder of that
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section on the Holy Spirit of entreat is
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focused on how the Holy Spirit is equal
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to the Father and to the son we hold it
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the Holy Spirit is Lord just as early
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we professed our belief in one Lord
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Jesus Christ and we believe that the
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Holy Spirit
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we're the father and the son is likewise
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worshiped and glorified we additionally
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hold two things we've altered the Holy
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Spirit is the giver of life in the
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labelling creation the main leader we
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see this is in our baptismal service in
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contrast to those who keep confirmation
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as a later sacrament we hope that it is
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that baptism that a person whether a
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child or an adult that that person most
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needs to receive the Holy Spirit and
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this is done through anointing with
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chrism especially blessed by our bishops
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while the newly baptized has been born
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again through the waters of baptism they
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had yet to be born again of the Spirit
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and so therefore we Chris made
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immediately after baptism with the Holy
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Spirit giving new life to the newly
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illumined there are a number of terms
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that Jesus uses to describe the Holy
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Spirit and the number have made their
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way into that hymn of the church our
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Heavenly King it's a beloved hymn that
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we hear at Pentecost and sing all
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throughout the year calling down the
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Holy Spirit and we hear in this that the
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Holy Spirit is the giver of life the
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Spirit of Truth and the treasury of good
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things
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most of these terms are relatively
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straightforward but there is one term
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that is worth drawing out that of
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Paraclete we usually translate this word
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for athlete us as comfortable but this
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is only one of the means it also means
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counsel or encouragement even advocate
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but more generally it means one who is
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called upon to come alongside and
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support lots of what the Jesus said in
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John 14 then while the world would not
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see him any longer the father would give
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a Paraclete to help us and to be with us
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forever
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it is this promised comforter and
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advocate that we not to live within us
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to make us clean and pure before God and
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to save ourselves
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straight after we process
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our belief in the holy spirit we profess
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our belief that there is one Holy
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Catholic and Apostolic Church these are
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five key words that define our
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ecclesiology and then what's going
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through individually the first of these
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declarations is that we believe in one
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church in the mountain limitary that we
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hear in Ephesians 5 2nd Corinthians 11
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Romans 7 and scattered all through
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revelations the image of Christ is as
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the bridegroom while the bride is the
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church that is his followers the new
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Israel is nearly chosen and set apart
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people while this doesn't prevent people
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from attempting to cause divisions or to
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leave or to set up their own religious
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denomination or religion entirely what
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this does mean what this means is that
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like a branch lopped off from a tree the
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organization that they have created is
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not the church with all the better tales
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the imagery and Holy Scripture is clear
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that Christ will return to his bride and
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not to his town the church is one and
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indivisible this brings us to the second
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term holding we not only believe that
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Christ founded our church but also that
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the Holy Spirit dwells in our church and
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that thus it is set apart from man-made
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institutions there are problems in
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church life of course just like with
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anything that humans are involved in and
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the fact that the church is holy only
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makes it more tragic when people look to
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do the wrong thing in its name yet with
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all its imperfections they believe that
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power is still that one Holy Church they
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craft founded and the Holy Spirit dwells
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within still proclaiming the gospel to
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the world from 33 AD through into the
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future the third term is that the church
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is Catholic but this were not referring
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to the Vatican or to the papacy instead
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we're taking the original meaning of the
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term the word Catholic from the original
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language literally means according to
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all that is only say that the church is
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Catholic
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that the church holds to the formula of
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st. Vincent of lurin when you described
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how the church formed its beliefs we
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hold to that which has been believed by
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all believers at all times and in all
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places and the fourth adjective is that
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the church is apostolic this has a
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two-fold meaning that the church has
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passed on and holds to the same beliefs
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as the Apostles and that the church has
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passed on the authority to teach from
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the Apostles through to now because it's
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method of apostolic succession is
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twofold it also means that a person even
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a bishop that leaves the church also
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leaves behind their ability to pass on
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apostolic succession much like a leaf
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that has fallen from the tree is not
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able to sprout a new tree and lastly the
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word church itself this is a confusing
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word in English because we use the same
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word to refer to the Orthodox Church as
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we do to refer to a church building
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where we gather to worship and the word
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church originates from the greek word
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kitty Alcorn meaning place of the Lord
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but the text of the Creed yields a
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different word ecclesia and that's the
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word that is used for the whole church
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the same way that we read today get
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ecclesiology or Ecclesiastes from in
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taking apart that's where we find its
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meaning literally those who are called
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out the method by which we are called
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out is that one baptism for the
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remission of sins when we die with
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Christ and rise again with him and thus
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become among those who look forward to
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the return of our Lord and so we as
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members of the one Holy Catholic and
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Apostolic Church our among those who
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have been called out from our people
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from our community from a nation from
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the human race as people who follow
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Christ as part of the body of Christ we
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are called upon to live our faith we are
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called out to be one United to one
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another
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we are called out to be holy following
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Christ and pursuing sanctity
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we are called out to catholicity to find
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our beliefs to be within the consensus
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of all our fellow believers around the
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world since Pentecost and we are called
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out to APIs Felicity to follow in the
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teachings and the Church of the Apostles
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and the best way to put that into
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practice is to look at app 2 as a kind
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of blueprint for us it's an
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exceptionally appropriate chapter given
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that the Epistle reading for the feast
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day of Pentecost largely trawls on this
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chapter so first 13 verses of apps 2 is
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about the event that we celebrate 50
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days after the resurrection of Christ
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that is Pentecost when the Holy Spirit
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descended on the Apostles describes how
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this occurred 10 days after the
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Ascension of Christ and after much
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fervent prayer by the Apostles in a cave
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of known languages with which to preach
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the gospel verses 14 to 36 detailed the
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first sermon delivered by st. Peter the
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result of which brought 3,000 people to
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be baptized and the remainder of the
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chapter describes how the first
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Christians lived together there's one
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verse in particular that I want to draw
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out and to bring to you as an effective
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summary for how it is that we as four
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parts of the body of Christ and as full
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parts of the church where the Holy
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Spirit dwells should act as - 42 states
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that these Christians continued
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steadfastly in the teaching of the
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Apostles and the fellowship and the
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breaking of the bread and the prayers
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brothers and sisters I submit to you
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that in this we can follow our forebears
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in the safe we can also continued
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steadfastly in the teaching of the
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Apostles because we through to today
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still have the apostolic teaching even
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without considering private study we
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still have the readings that occur
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within church we still have the sermons
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within Church we still have the hymns
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and the readings of their
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in church life and we have the
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educational talks that are put on by
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many parishes around the world and all
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of that is in addition to our own
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private study and then to properly
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continue in the teaching of the Apostles
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we should then attempt to put what we
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hear into practice further we can also
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continued steadfastly in the cellar ship
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by meeting and speaking with our
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brothers and sisters in Christ after
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services and not only those who we speak
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to each week but even those that we may
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never have spoken to we can continue
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steadfastly in the breaking of the bread
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indeed we see this happening every
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liturgy every Sunday and yet all of this
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is for naught if we don't participate by
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preparing ourselves to receive Christ
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and by then partaking of Holy Communion
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and lastly we can continue steadfastly
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in the prayers by holding on to the
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grace that we have received at a common
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worship and by bringing this home
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continuing in the prayers of the church
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throughout the week as we prepare to
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again worship our God Father Son and
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Holy Spirit and to receive him within
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ourselves under the forgiveness of sins
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eternal life
