The Spirit’s Role in Motivating and Empowering Our Worship

For we are the circumcision, who worship by the Spirit of God and
glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh. (Phil 3:3)

One way to understand this dynamic is to see the Spirit as the connective
tissue between the Revelation and Response poles of the biblical pattern of
worship. It is the role of the Holy Spirit to take the revelation of God from
our minds into our hearts and to draw forth our response.

The Spirit takes the objective truth about God in Christ and makes it subjec-
tively precious to us: objective revelation, subjective response. In this sense,
Christ is the Way to the Father, but the Holy Spirit is the Guide.

Crucially, we can say that we can come to the Father because of the
ministry of Christ, but we want to come to the Father in worship because of
the ministry of the Holy Spirit!

—RM

See also other Pentecost writings HERE

Notice how Peter’s sermon effectively moves from the signs that the crowd has witnessed, back to Jesus, who is himself the center of it all.  The marvels of that Pentecost gathering are seen merely as pointers to the One who is the center.

—Edith Humphrey, Grand Entrance: Worship on Earth as in Heaven, 52

Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I love but what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Guard me, then, O Holy Spirit, that I always may be holy. Amen.

—attributed to St. Augustine

Pentecost is sometimes spoken of as the ‘reversal’ of Babel, a return to one language. In fact, the crowds heard the disciples in their own tongues (Acts 2:6). There is no suppression of cultural diversity; quite the opposite. The coming of the Spirit means particularity is preserved and indeed encouraged, as Paul’s vision of the Spirit-directed Church makes clear (1 Corinthians 12).

—Jeremy Begbie, “Christ and the Cultures: Christianity and the Arts,” in The Cambridge Companion to Christian Doctrine, 116

Think of it this way. It is as if the Spirit stands behind us, throwing light over our shoulder, on Jesus, who stands facing us. The Spirit’s message is never, ‘Look at me; listen to me; come to me; get to know me,’ but always, ‘Look at him, and see his glory; listen to him, and hear his word; go to him, and have life; get to know him, and taste his gift of joy and peace.’ The Spirit, we might say, is the matchmaker, the celestial marriage broker, whose role it is to bring us and Christ together and ensure that we stay together.

—J. I. Packer, Keep in Step with the Spirit, 66

The life of the church . . . pivots on the dual reality of the Ascension-Pentecost—the risen Christ and the outpouring of the Spirit. 

—Gordon T. Smith, “The Sacraments and the Embodiment of Our Trinitarian Faith” in Trinitarian Theology for the Church: Scripture, Community, Worship, 192

Hail the day that sees Him rise, Alleluia!
To His throne above the skies, Alleluia!
Christ, awhile to mortals given, Alleluia!
Reascends His native heaven, Alleluia!

There the glorious triumph waits, Alleluia!
Lift your heads, eternal gates, Alleluia!
Christ hath conquered death and sin, Alleluia!
Take the King of glory in, Alleluia!

Circled round with angel powers, Alleluia!
Their triumphant Lord, and ours, Alleluia!
Conqueror over death and sin, Alleluia!
“Take the King of glory in! Alleluia!”

Him though highest Heav’n receives, Alleluia!
Still He loves the earth He leaves, Alleluia!
Though returning to His throne, Alleluia!
Still He calls mankind His own, Alleluia!

See! He lifts His hands above, Alleluia!
See! He shows the prints of love, Alleluia!
Hark! His gracious lips bestow, Alleluia!
Blessings on His church below, Alleluia!

Still for us His death He pleads, Alleluia!
Prevalent He intercedes, Alleluia!
Near Himself prepares our place, Alleluia!
Harbinger of human race, Alleluia!

Grant, though parted from our sight, Alleluia!
Far above yon azure height, Alleluia!
Grant our hearts may thither rise, Alleluia!
Seeking Thee beyond the skies, Alleluia!

Ever upward let us move, Alleluia!
Wafted on the wings of love, Alleluia!
Looking when our Lord shall come, Alleluia!
Longing, gasping after home, Alleluia!

There we shall with Thee remain, Alleluia!
Partners of Thy endless reign, Alleluia!
There Thy face unclouded see, Alleluia!
Find our heaven of heavens in Thee, Alleluia!

—Charles Wesley

The Ascension is not only a royal procession, as we are too easily inclined to believe. It is also a liturgical procession:
in ascending to heaven, Jesus enters into the heavenly sanctuary. We must . . . see in the Church’s worship a reflection of the
perpetual heavenly offering of which Jesus Christ is the eternal and sovereign high priest. [Hebrews 8:1-2]

—Jean-Jacques von Allmen, Worship: Its Theology and Practice, 25)

Look, ye saints, the sight is glorious;
See the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious,
Ev’ry knee to him shall bow:
Crown him! crown him!
Crowns become the Victor’s brow.

Crown the Saviour, angels, crown him;
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
In the seat of pow’r enthrone him,
While the vault of heaven rings:
Crown him! crown him!
Crown the Saviour King of kings.

—Thomas Kelly (19th century hymnwriter).

Question 49: What benefit do we gain from Christ’s ascension into heaven?

First, that he pleads our cause in heaven in the presence of his Father.

Second, that we have our flesh in heaven: taken there as a sure pledge that Christ our head will take us, his members, there to himself.

And third, that he sends us his Spirit, sent back as a further pledge: by whose power we make our goal not earthly things, but things above where Christ is, seated at God’s right hand.

—Heidelberg Cathechism (1563)