The Fourth Sunday after Easter

The Collect.

O ALMIGHTY God, who alone canst order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men; Grant unto thy people, that they may love the thing which thou commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise; that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed, where true joys are to be found; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Epistle. St. James 1:17-21

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. (ESV)

The Gospel. St. John 16:5-15

But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. (ESV)

The phrase “self made man,” while commonly used, is a misnomer – no one is “made” or progresses in a vacuum. On an even more basic level, anyone who accomplishes any good does so by the grace of God – therefore he's not “self made.” That's especially true of Christians – there are certainly no “self made” Christians! From our being forgiven and declared righteous in God's sight (justification) to our being conformed to Christ's nature while dying unto self (sanctification), both are done by the Holy Spirit's work.

Due to our unruly wills and affections, we will not seek righteousness on our own. We simply can't. Prior to His ascension, Christ told His disciples that He would send a Helper – the Holy Spirit – so that they could be guided into the truth and so that the world could be convicted of it's sin. We need to be daily reliant upon the Holy Spirit as we seek to live the Christian life, grow in grace, and glorify God. As that happens, our actions and desires will increasingly reflect that which God requires and desires.

Thanks be to God for the ministry of the Holy Spirit!