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Acts 2:1-21 – Pentecost (2007)
St. Mark Lutheran Church, Conroe, TX
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. As I was processing out of church a few Pentecosts ago, my oldest son caught me in the isle and ran up all excited. “He's here! He's here, Dad, the Spirit's finally here! I thought He'd never get here!”
“Yes, Son, He is! Finally!” For fifty days since Easter, the Holy Spirit has been hinted about, promised, and now He's here.
We've even got the red to show it!
“Pentecost” is from the Greek word for “fiftieth.” The Jewish feast of Weeks. Fifty days after passover Deuteronomy says...
“Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you.”
But the Father has made Pentecost so much more than an offering of corn to Him. Jesus, who won salvation for us on the Cross by His horrific death on the tree. rose from the dead on the third day. He has ascended to the right hand of God. The Spirit, the Helper, the comforter, sees to the delivery of His salvation to you and me.
That's why today is traditionally called “WhitSunday.” White-Sunday - The celebration of the Christian Church's birthday – the day where those baptized on Easter Vigil, the day before Easter, would wear white garments.
The two go together – the Spirit and the Holy Christian Church. One flows from the other. One is created by the other. Where the Spirit is doing business, He gathers the Christian Church around the gifts of the Spirit – the means of grace.
No wind. No fan fair. No tongues of fire. Just doing work. No wonder my son wanted to celebrate! Without Pentecost, we'd never celebrate the work of the busiest person of the Trinity – the Spirit.
He's at work right now – taking my words and giving you life in Jesus' Name. Creating “faith where and when He pleases in those who hear the Gospel.” (Augustana V)
In the water of your Baptism – there the Spirit is at work. In the Body and Blood of Jesus – there the Spirit is at work keeping you in the Faith. In the Absolution of your pastor this morning – there the Spirit is at work delivering the gifts of Jesus' crucifixion.
He's busy as a bee and works through the voice of men – never about Him at all, always about delivering Jesus to you. You'd not even know He was doing it if we didn't stop on Pentecost and point it out.
Then, it's right back to work wherever Jesus is spreading the Gospel in a haphazard fashion. For your Lord Jesus is like a sower who tosses seed all over the place, not caring where it lands. Jesus spreads His gospel to the ends of the earth and the Spirit does the work of creating faith in the Word – faith which is all about Jesus. Faith which saves you and me from our sins.
From the mother that teachers her child the faith, to the friend who tells another friend that their sin is forgiven in Christ. From the Pastor who preaches the Gospel in his parish to the missionary in a foreign land who speaks the Gospel to people of different tongues – all of it is the work of the Holy Spirit in the Word.
That's the business of sons and daughters prophesying in Joel! Christians – young, old, ordained, layman, male, female – tell the Gospel! They proclaim the forgiveness of sins won by Christ on the Cross.
On Pentecost, the curse of Babel was undone. They had gathered together to build a tower to stretch to the heavens so that they would be like God.
Sounds crass. We'd never do that! We don't need a tower to try to be like God, do we? Pick your sin – it's about you being like God.
We worry about our lives because God isn't going to fix things the way I want Him to. If I were God, I do and know better.
We covet other things because we know better than God what you need. We take, cut corners, and cheat because God is not providing enough for us. We'll help Him along.
We despise others and hate them – hold grudges because we don't believe honestly that Christ dying for us is enough to settle everything – between you and me, between you and the next sinner.
Think I'm overstating my case? Well, consider this, would you be mad at the person you were mad at if you remembered that Christ died for you both? He forgave them. Why haven't you?
It is about being God, isn't it? So, they built a tower to get to God. But, He scrambled their language. If they can't understand each other, maybe they won't get themselves in such a pickle.
But, they did. You do too - daily and much. But, the Father's response is not hell. No, He sends His Son in your place – who always loved the Father with His whole heart and loved His neighbor so much that He would die for them – die for you.
And so that the message of what the Father did in the sending of His Son would be heard, He sent the Spirit in Jesus' Name.
Plenty of miracles to celebrate today – people speaking in tongues, tongues of fire alighting on the disciples.
But the greatest miracle on that first Pentecost was that the Word of Lord was heard...
"Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born”
Then all who were there.. Parthians and Medes and Elamites,and every other sort of -ite and -an who was there in Jerusalem that first Pentecost – even Romans and Jews... They heard the Apostles speaking in their own language - that's what a tongue is - the wonderful works of God.... They heard the Word!
St. Peter stood up from amongst the Twelve – from amongst the Church, and preached the Gospel: “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ."
Peter preached, the Spirit did the work.. They were cut to the heart. What could they do? St. Peter responded...
"Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call."
“Called” That's the Spirit's miracle: They believed. That's the Spirit's work. Three thousand people were baptized. Baptized – received the Holy Spirit. Baptized – received the forgiveness of sins. They were saved in the water – where you were saved in the waters of your Baptism.
That puts the “white” in WhitSunday! They were baptized. That's Pentecost! Happy Birthday Church! The Spirit is here!
That's what the Spirit does – He opens your ears to hear the Gospel. He creates faith in the gifts.
Dear Saints of God, Pentecost teaches us the truth about the Holy Spirit. He is not a force. He's not a feeling. He's not the pitter patter in your heart. He's not a warm feeling in your heart when you sing a hymn that you love.
The Spirit is at work during good hymn and He's also at work in the good hymns which are so German that they are un-singable in English. He's at work when you think you feel Him in church. He's at work when you are certain you don't.
The Holy Spirit has connected Himself to the Word. Where the Word is being proclaimed, there the Spirit is at work. In the water, in the Word, in the Body and Blood – where Christ is delivering faith, that's the work of the Spirit.
So.. let's celebrate this Pentecost by letting the Spirit do His work. He wants you to repent of your sins and believe the Gospel....
Therefore, turn from your sins today. Stop doing them. Stop trying to be god. Turn from your own personal the tower building. Believe the Gospel. Trust the Lord.
Your sins.. all of them are forgiven in Jesus' Name. Your tower building has been answered for. Christ has died for you. Christ has risen. Christ has ascended and has sent the Spirit. Be at peace.
You say, “Amen.” All of this has been the Holy Spirit's work! He works to create faith in the Word – works receiving gifts from God.
So, let's end that way this Pentecost. I'll say you say, “Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' Name.” And you say, “Amen.”
Ready? Here goes... “Your sins are forgiven in Jesus' Name.” You say, “Amen.” Amen! A blessed Pentecost to you all. The Spirit is here. Finally! In the name of Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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