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Homepage >> Ministry >> Worship And Music >> Sermons >> Veni Creator Spiritus Veni Creator Spiritus
Come, Holy Ghost, our souls inspire, These are the opening words of a hymn sung at
the ordination of every Episcopal and Anglican deacon or priest or bishop you
know, or have known. It was translated by John Cosin (1594-1672), Bishop of
Durham. It was sung at my ordination to the deaconate in June of 1970, and at
Terri’s, and at Larry’s. “thy seven-fold gifts impart” The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit come from
Isaiah 11:2: …the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of
counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord Come, Holy Spirit, and give us the gift of
wisdom: wisdom to know how to love, how to show compassion, when to reach out,
when to let go, when to hold tight. Come, Holy Spirit, and give us understanding:
the hard work of understanding other people, other languages, other
backgrounds, other histories, other belief or lack of belief. Give us Jesus’
eyes to see other people. Come, Holy Spirit, and give counsel: the gift
of seeing what is right, to have a right judgment. May our decisions be marked
by the love we see in Jesus, marked by his cross, marked by a love which costs
something. Come, Holy Spirit and give us the gift of
might: of strength and courage. God will give us the strength and courage to do
what God gives us to do, to carry what God gives us to carry. Come, Holy Spirit and give knowledge. Whatever
is true and good and beautiful ultimately comes from the hand of God, has been
created by God, if indeed it is true or good or beautiful. Come, Holy Spirit and give us fear of the
Lord: an appropriate fear of doing wrong, of hurting or destroying or using
other human beings, of cutting ourselves off from God. May we remember always
the great verse in the First Letter of John: “There is no fear in love, but
perfect love casts out fear;” (4:18) But, you may say, my love is not perfect?
No, neither is mine. But Jesus’ love is. Holy Spirit, fill us with Jesus’ love
and cast out fear. There is a seventh. When Come, Holy Spirit, and give us piety: a love
of devotion, which itself comes from the Latin for having to do with our vows,
living out our baptismal vows, to follow Jesus day by day, as his disciples, on
his way of prayer and service. Give us a spirit of faithful devotion to follow
through a lifetime. In my home parish in Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.
(This sermon was preached by the
Rev. Raymond Webster, Rector, in St. Chrysostom’s Church, Chicago, Illinois, on
Sunday, May 27, 2007, The Feast of Pentecost, at the 5:15 pm service.)
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