On the Most Holy Spirit
January 11, 2026
Rev. Traceymay Kalvaitis
Isaiah 42:1-9
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth, and the coastlands wait for his teaching. Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Matthew 3:13-17
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
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Today’s sermon is titled On the Most Holy Spirit. This summer I will begin my ninth year of ministry, and yet sometimes I can still get really nervous. It usually happens right before the beginning of the Sunday service, a wedding or a funeral, or as I am about to walk through the door of a hospital room. These are momentary crises of confidence, moments of wondering if I have what it takes to meet the demands of my work and my life.
Years ago I learned something that has proven to be very useful. In these low moments of spirit, I go even lower. I kneel, if I am able. I make the sign of the cross and I touch the cross that I wear around my neck and I pull myself back into the memory that I am not alone. I thank the Holy Spirit of God for being with me and then I rise to face what is before me.
I am not always in a place where I can kneel without drawing unnecessary attention, so I have learned to also kneel inwardly, to assume an inward gesture of surrender as I remember from whence my strength comes. If I am feeling especially vulnerable, I will ask the Holy Spirit to come, even though I know in my heart that I am the one that is moving towards a closer alignment with the Holy Spirit within.
Each time now, before I enter the sanctuary, I kneel inwardly or outwardly, and I surrender this time and space to God that God may work in and through us all to bring about God’s kindom. This is not something that we can do with our will and our might. We need help.
I imagine Jesus felt the same way as he approached the river Jordan and asked to be baptized. He was around 30 years old. He had lived long enough to see and to suffer the myriad of injustices that come in living under foreign occupation, the disregard for human worth and human dignity, the slow motion war of poverty that renders a population dependent, defeated, and therefore subservient to the power of empire. Jesus knew that the work set before him was only possible through the grace of God and so he came seeking, asking, and ready to receive.
“John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then [John] consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him.”
We are offered this story of Jesus’s baptism each year as we shift from the season of Christmastide and into the season of Epiphany. Epiphany means “to show forth” or “to shine forth.” We are invited to dwell within the season of Epiphany in between now and the
beginning of Lent, this year February 18th. We are invited not only to look at the events recorded in the scriptures, events like Jesus’s baptism that point to his divinity; we are also invited to look within ourselves and within our world for signs that the divine is at work.
Wherever there are people caring for one another, the Divine is at work. Wherever there are people demanding justice, especially justice for others, the Divine is at work. Wherever people are willing to risk their own safety in defense of others, you can be sure that the Divine is at work.
Listen again to the following words from the prophet Isaiah. Here Isaiah is setting high hopes for the King of Persia, but they are the same hopes of all people, down throughout the ages, people who dream of a leader who mirrors the compassionate heart of God:
“Here is my servant…I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry out or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth. Thus says God, the LORD, I have called you in righteousness; I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as…a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.”
Theologian Matthew Myers Bolton writes of the profound example of servanthood, similar to what Isaiah describes, that shines forth both in the birth of Jesus and in Jesus’s baptism. First, in what we know of Jesus’s birth, Bolton reminds us of “the astonishing humility and solidarity” as the infinite love of God incarnates as a tiny, vulnerable, and dependent baby, willing to experience the full spectrum of human existence. And, then again, at Jesus’s baptism, where, as Bolton describes, Jesus, “gets in line with the rest of us” to receive the Holy Spirit of God that he might light the way to a brighter future for all of humankind. This is truly “God with us!” Bolton elaborates, “The way of Jesus is a way of coming alongside our neighbors for the sake of our common life together.”
Friends, the infinite love that is God is at work in the world and we are all part of that work. It is becoming increasingly clear that the “common life” that Bolton writes about depends on our commitment as individuals and as communities to stand up for one another. We can not do it alone. Jesus knew he could not do it alone; he needed the most Holy Spirit of God and we need it, too. We are witnessing the breakdown in the rule of law in our democracy. We are being told to not believe what our eyes see but instead believe what we are told. We are being challenged as never before and it is imperative that we are guided by a greater force or else we are in danger of becoming part of the problem.
In closing, let’s take with us the qualities of “humility and solidarity” that were so beautifully exemplified in Jesus’s birth and in his baptism. Let’s take with us the reminder that “the way of Jesus is a way of coming alongside our neighbors for the sake of our common life together.” Lastly, let’s take with us the assurance that we will have what we need to face the demands of our lives, because, as Paul writes in Romans 5: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.” May the most Holy Spirit of God guide us all our days. So be it. Amen.
Pastoral Prayer
Beloved God, I thank you for the precious gift we receive when we look to Christ as the embodiment of your highest wishes for us and for our fulfillment as human beings. Our inmost fears and our inmost joys are known to you before we can put them into words. You have gifted us with the ability to feel so many different emotions and it can, at times, be overwhelming. Empathy for our brothers and sisters and the struggles they face can be painful to bear, Lord, and yet through this deep feeling, we become more alive, we become more humane, and we come closer to the place within where you reside. Help us to remember the life and example of Jesus Christ, that we may learn to empathize without feeling depleted, and that we may learn to let the love of God flow through us to others. With willingness and devotion, I
pray. Amen.
Benediction
I leave you with these words from the book of Colossians, chapter 3: “Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of mercy, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another and forgive one another, as the Lord has forgiven you.” Amen.