Gathers

The eight verbs Luther's Small Catechism assigns to The Holy Spirit, which are drawn out from the Scriptures, are: calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies, keeps, forgives, raises, and gives. Here is a closer look at the Holy Spirit's work of gathering.

The evangelical instinct to think about the Holy Spirit is very individualistic. Our Lutheran instinct goes against this. It is true the Holy Spirit works in each one of us to give us faith; each one of us believes, but we do not remain alone, and the Holy Spirit gathers us to the preaching of the Word. He gathers us through the preaching of the Word, and to the preaching of the Word, and this is what it's meant to be "Church," to be brought and adopted in the family of God, so that not only Jesus our brother, but we also have brothers and sisters in Christ in the holy Christian Church. The Church is the fellowship of all those who believe in Jesus.

We can't see faith, so the Church is made known by the preaching of the Gospel, which creates faith, and the right administration of the Sacraments, which creates faith, and those means the Holy Spirit uses to create faith is the way we also identify the holy Christian Church. Christians are gathered together people; we were never meant to believe on our own. Yet while it's possible to have faith and be apart from the visible Church, it's dangerous, and it's also sinful.* The Holy Spirit gathers His people, and He gathers so we can hear the Word together, pray together, give thanks to God together, and eat and drink the body and blood of Jesus together. This is all the Lord's will for us.

*Luther's Small Catechism - The Third Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we may not despise preaching and His Word but hold it sacred and gladly hear and learn it.

-Pr. Bryan Wolfmueller