The Feast of Pentecost

Pastor Burcham's Sermon

  Sunday, May 15, 2005

  Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Didn't anyone notice? Didn't it seem strange to anyone at the time? Evidently not, because there is no mention of it at all in the story. It just seems to be an established fact. Could it be they were used to seeing such things and so, therefore, it was pretty commonplace? I really don't think so. And yet, it seems that the crowd just sort of takes in all in stride. Wouldn't you have thought when they turned around and looked at the apostles and they had tongues of fire on their head, somebody might have noticed that and said something? Do you think maybe even the disciples, as they're looking at each other in the upper room, might have causally glanced across the room and said, “Matthew, I don't know how to say this, but your head's on fire.” But yet there's really no mention of it. And I would guess, under any other circumstance, the message would have been completely lost because the whole crowd would have been in awe of this phenomena of these tongues of fire sitting on the tops of these men's heads. They wouldn't have heard a word they spoke except the word they spoke was the word of God. And when God's word is spoken, people listen.

When God's word is proclaimed, scripture says the apostles were declaring the wonders of God. That's happening. All the circumstances, all the things that could divert our mind, washed away. That crowd zeroed in on the message, the message that was being preached in their own language.

This morning is Pentecost Sunday. It was 50 days ago we celebrated Easter. We celebrated the resurrection of Jesus. He spent some time with His disciples. Then He ascended up into heaven. But before He went, He said, “I promise you I'm going to send you my Spirit.” He said, “Now go and wait in Jerusalem but when the Spirit comes, trust me, you'll know what to do.” That Spirit is going to enliven them. That Spirit is going to guide and direct them. The Spirit came in a big way, in a dramatic way. There's the blowing of the wind. There are the tongues of fire that come down on the apostles' heads, but all of that is secondary because now burning in their hearts is this desire to proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Think about it. Here are 12 men who were cowering in fear. They had the doors locked for fear of the Jews. And, all of a sudden, they are street corner preachers. They are standing out on soapboxes to anyone and everyone who will listen to them and, in a dramatic way, speaking in how many different languages of all the people who are gathered in Jerusalem . And the people are listening. Because when God speaks, people listen.

And this morning, what we need to learn is what was true back then is still true today. When God speaks, people listen. There are several things we can notice from the account scripture tells us in Acts 2. The first thing we notice is when God speaks, He uses people. In fact, if you look at all of scripture, you'll note whenever God wants to get a message across to the world, He uses people. He uses messengers. Sure, there are those accounts where He talks individually to people but only for the purpose that they will then be His messenger. He talked to Moses one-on-one at Mount Sinai only for the point that Moses would come down from the mountain and then speak to the people. He spoke to the prophets. He spoke to them one-on-one at times but only so they could go out and speak to the people. Jesus came and lived with the apostles for three years, and God spoke to them and they witnessed it when the Father said, “This is my Son. Listen to Him.” But only so they could be equipped to then go out and speak to the people. Whenever God has something to say, He uses people and He speaks through them.

This morning, we see it in a dramatic way. Because this morning, all of a sudden, the apostles receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes and enlivens their hearts and all of a sudden these men who were fearful are now filled with courage, an unbelievable courage really. You think about this. It's only 50 days since they crucified Jesus. They crucified Him because they saw Him as an enemy of the state. They had good reason to be fearful of the Jews and to hide out in rooms with locked doors because the fate of Jesus could be their fate and yet, all of a sudden, they have this courage within them. All of a sudden, they want to talk boldly about Jesus. And they want to talk about the fact, “Yeah, you may have killed Him but He came back to life. You may have thought He was just a nut, but He was the Son of God.” They're going to boldly proclaim that. That Spirit gave them that kind of courage. The Spirit also told them what to say. And even more than that, the Spirit told them how to say it. God uses people to proclaim His message. He gives them the courage and the boldness and tells them what to say and even tells them how to say it.

God still uses people today. God still speaks through people today. And God still gives the gift of the Holy Spirit. Pentecost wasn't just a one-time event. Maybe it was a one-time event where tongues of fire came down and there was the blowing of the wind, but the gift of the Holy Spirit was not just for the apostles but it was for all believers. In fact, you have the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter picked up the ball after all of them were talking and he gives the first sermon there. And at the end of that sermon when the people become convicted of what God has to say to them, he says, “Repent and be baptized every one of you for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” It is through baptism that God claims us to be His own. It's through baptism, through your baptism, that God has gifted you with the Holy Spirit. Maybe it was when you were an infant or maybe it was when you were an adult but, at that moment, God entered into your heart and His Spirit then dwells there.

I can say that with confidence because St. Paul told us in 1 Corinthians 12:3. He says, “No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the power of the Holy Spirit.” The fact that you're here this morning confessing Jesus is your Lord and He's your Savior says the gift of the Holy Spirit lives in your heart. The same thing that was given to the apostles was given to you. That means the courage the apostles had is the courage you have. The boldness with which the apostles could speak, you can speak. The fact the Spirit told them what to say and how to say it, that same Spirit is at work in your heart even today. God's Spirit dwells in you and will give you a boldness and tell you what to say, when to say it, and even how to say it. God speaks through people.

That's how He's chosen to get His message across. It's been that way since the beginning of time, and there's no reason for us to think it's changed now. God still speaks through His people. There is no loud, booming voice that comes out of heaven. There's no message that's written in the clouds. There are no certain individuals that are singled out because they are the only ones who speak for God. God speaks through you because God speaks through people.

And God always speaks in a way He can be understood. God speaks in a personal way, in a way so we see His love and His care. You look at the first Pentecost and all of a sudden, in a miraculous way, these apostles start talking in languages they didn't know. Now was that just to impress the people just to get their attention? I don't think so. Because God wanted to remove every barrier possible, and He wanted to speak to the people who were gathered in Jerusalem in their own native language. They didn't have to run it through a filter. They didn't have to translate it in their mind. He spoke to them in their native tongue, the tongue in which they would understand the clearest and they would know that God cared about them the most. You see, God always speaks in meaningful and caring ways and personal ways. So we saw it in that first Pentecost. At Pentecost, we have gathered together people from all regions of the world at that time because the festival of Pentecost was second only to the festival of the Passover. That means Jerusalem is crowded with people, all different dialects, all different languages, and yet God cares enough to speak with each one of them in their native tongue. God still speaks in a way in which can be understood, the native tongue of people if you will. And God still speaks through you, through us in a way in which can be understood. And sometimes, He even used words.

You see, God wants to speak to us in a meaningful and caring way and He wants to speak to us in a way in which He can understand and His love can be communicated to us. Sometimes He does that with words. Often times, He does it without words.

The last couple of weeks, I have seen God speaking to His people here at Gloria Dei. I've witnessed it. I've seen God speaking through you in meaningful, caring ways and ways in which it could be understood. If you've heard the prayers for the last couple of weeks, you know there have been several families in our congregation who have lost loved ones. They've had to go through the whole grief and the separation of loss of someone who's important to them. And I've watched God speak through you in meaningful and understandable ways. Sometimes it was without a word. It was a warm smile. Sometimes when the Spirit nudged you in a direction and, even if you're not a hugger, you gave somebody a hug because you knew they needed it. Sometimes it was with a word or two, reminding them their loved one is in heaven and all the glory that is there and that one day they'll be reunited with them.

You see, God's been speaking through you in ways that are meaningful and can be understood. God still speaks to His people, and He speaks at just the right time and He speaks in just the right language. Pentecost wasn't just a one-day event. It should be an every day event. We should be tuned into the Spirit's guiding and leading, tuned in so we know He speaks through people and He's going to speak through me and He's going to speak in a meaningful way, to be tuned into that and to recognize what God is doing. You see, I doubt, and I can't imagine it would be too effective if you took your bible to school or to work and you shook it at people and you said, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near,” I seriously doubt that would really communicate a message God wants His people to hear. But I think when you trust in the Spirit and the gift God has given to you and, at just the right moment, you put your arm around somebody's shoulder or just an opportune time you just mention to them, “You know, I'm going to pray for you tonight because I see something's going on.” Or maybe it's just that moment when you share with that person what your faith means to you and what God has done in your life. God will give you the courage to do that. He'll even tell you the timing of when you should open your mouth. He'll even give you the words to speak because God speaks through His people and He speaks in a way in which people can understand and they can see His care and His love.

And God speaks to convict and to convince. Did you ever notice how closely related those two words are? Convict and convince. If you're convinced of something, you might say you're convictive on that point. God speaks His word and that word is to convict and also to convince. Did you notice what Jesus said to the disciples when He promised them the Holy Spirit? It seems a little strange to us. We always think about when we preach the gospel, we preach about the good news of the salvation we have in Jesus and He says, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and He will convict people in regard to sin.” He wants to convict people so they know they're in need of a Savior and then He wants to convince them Jesus is the Savior.

If we go back to Peter's sermon in Acts 2, Peter does a wonderful job of painting a picture for the people there. Now these are Jewish people who have been waiting for the Messiah for generation after generation after generation. He finally concludes his message by saying this, “But this Jesus whom you crucified, I hate to tell you He was the one. God raised Him to the Glory of God the Father.” He was telling the people the Messiah they had been waiting for is the very man they killed. That's hard news to take.

Scripture says when they heard it, they were cut to the heart. And they cried out to Peter and the other apostles and said, “Brothers, what should we do?” The word of God convicted them. It convicted them of their sinfulness. It convicted them of what they had done but only for a purpose. The purpose was so they could convince them Jesus was the Savior, that Jesus was the answer for that. And that's why when the people said, “Brothers, what should we do?” then Peter immediately comes in and says, “Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus. Receive the forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” God's Word convicts us of our sinfulness and shows us our utter need for forgiveness and then it convinces us that forgiveness and salvation comes through Jesus and Jesus alone.

God still wants to convict and convince yet today. And the message you and I speak for God today needs to convict and convince. We need to convict the world through our words and through our actions. What I mean by that is we need to stand up for what is right. We need to broadly proclaim God's word, whether it's politically correct or incorrect, whether it's unpopular, whether it's perceived as judgmental or not. Part of God's word is to convict us and to convict the world in regard of sin, to show the world they need a Savior, they need forgiveness, and then immediately to convince them. Convince them Jesus is the answer, Jesus offers them forgiveness, Jesus offers them salvation.

It means you and I need to live by our convictions, both in word and deed, but it also means we need to seek those opportunities to share God's love, to share those opportunities to convince people of what Jesus has done for all of mankind, to talk about His life, His death, and His resurrection and what that means for us and the eternal promise that lives in our heart. And then let God's Spirit work in their heart and convince them Jesus is also there with them.

Pentecost may be the birthday of the Christian Church, but Pentecost was never meant to be a one-day event. The gift of the Holy Spirit came then, and the gift of the Holy Spirit still comes today. God spoke then and people listened. God still speaks today and people will listen, but God speaks through you and He speaks in a way in which people can understand and God's word seeks to convict and to convince. Amen.

Copyright 2005 Gloria Dei Lutheran Church