In an ancient antiphon, the church prayed to the Holy Spirit saying, "reple tuorum corda fidelium - fill the hearts of the faithful." Putting this into the verse of a new hymn for the church to sing, Martin Luther wrote:
Come, Holy Ghost, God and Lord!
Be all Thy graces now out poured
On each believer's mind and heart;
Thy fervent love to them impart.
The word "graces" got me thinking about gifts. The words "grace" and "gift" define so much of the Holy Spirit's work on earth, and there are long lists of such gifts in the New Testament, like certain offices and works done by people in the church (1 Corinthians 12 - 14 and Ephesians 4), and also different characteristics that are inspired by the Spirit's work in us (Galatians 5:23-24). In order to teach these gifts, some ancient church writers also put into a list the seven gifts that they felt were at the root of all the others. There have been different lists of "seven gifts", but the Biblical list is based on Isaiah 11:2-3. In today's sermon, we'll ask...
What are the seven gifts (or "graces") of the Holy Spirit?
How are they perfected in the Son of God?
How are those gifts to be shared in the Church, today?
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