Pentecost, May 19, 2013

Last week was Ascension Sunday. We remembered that 40 days after Easter Jesus rose up to heaven. In the sermon, I contemplated what it would be like if Jesus had not physically left this earth. We concluded that it was the best for us and our salvation that when Jesus is in heaven with power and authority he can answer all our prayers.

I was wondering for a Pentecost sermon, what it would be like if the Holy Spirit had not come down on the Disciples with a mighty wind and tongues of fire and the gift of languages. I soon realized that if the Holy Spirit had not come at Pentecost, then I would not be standing here preaching this morning. This church would not be here. Christianity would not be a world-wide religion. Christianity might have literally died out when the Disciples and the first believers died. I say that because it is the work of the Holy Spirit to create faith through the Word and Sacraments. If the Disciples did not have the power of the Holy Spirit, then they would not have gone out into the world to preach the Gospel.

For example, after the resurrection, Peter and the Disciples had seen the Risen Christ and were given authority to preach. But rather than preach, Peter said, “I am going fishing.” And some of the other disciples went with him. We can debate about whether Peter was just waiting for the Holy Spirit or whether he had given up on the mission of salvation. But he was not yet motivated and empowered by the Holy Spirit to preach the Gospel. Only after Pentecost did Peter and the Disciples preach the Gospel. They needed the power of the Holy Spirit.

We should not be surprised. We also often need motivation to do something. Sometimes we need a push or shove or kick to get us going. Like the proverbial donkey, we need a carrot to entice us to keep going. Sometimes a threat or warning is necessary. “No television or games until you finish your homework.” “Diet or die.” And we need power to get moving: a cup of coffee in the morning, a good breakfast, a chocolate bar in the afternoon. We need gas in the car. We also need a place to go to and need to know to get there.

This is true for our life as a Christian, too. We need motivation, and we need power. Sometimes we feel like Peter and want to go fishing. We can get frustrated by the demands of a Christian life: go to church, be active in the church, be a good person and keep the Ten Commandments, love your neighbor and your enemy and your God, invite someone to church, witness your faith. Or we can be like Peter who denied Jesus. “Are you one of his disciples?” “No, I am not.” If we are bullied, how do we respond? “Are you one of those do-good Christians?” “Well………..” Or maybe we are just lazy.

Christian motivation and power can be called many things: faith, love, hope, joy, peace, mission, vision, passion, zeal, etc. Today is Pentecost, so we know that the source of all those things is the Holy Spirit.

On Pentecost, the flame of the Holy Spirit was not just over he heads of the disciples, it was in their hearts. It is the same for us. The wind of the Holy Spirit was not to cool them down, but rather to give breath to the voices of the disciples in order to proclaim the Word of God. In the same way, the Holy Spirit gives us breath. The biggest miracle on Pentecost was that, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the disciples were able to proclaim the Word of God with courage and wisdom, in a way that everyone could understand it. And it was a message for everyone in the world, of all races and nationalities. As Peter said, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21). Then Peter went on to tell about the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus was the promised Messiah. Then Peter said “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off -- for all whom the Lord our God will call” (Acts 2:38). And on that day, 3000 people were baptized.

Today we celebrate the gift of faith. Today in the confirmation ceremony, we celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit given to three youth. They were baptized as children, and today they witness that the Holy Spirit has given them faith in Jesus Christ.
Read their Confirmation Testimonies

To celebrate Pentecost, maybe we should bring out the Christmas candlelight service candles. We should light them and hold them above our heads, and then go home that way. People would see our “haloes” and say, “There goes a Christian.” But we do not have the flame of the Holy Spirit upon our heads, but in our hearts. But that does not mean that it is hidden from view. When people see us they should be able to say, “There goes a Christian.” As Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Mt. 5:16). People should see in us the actions of Christ. They see our kindness, our love, our respect for others. They should not see cheating or greed, but rather integrity and honesty. People should see a life that keeps the Ten Commandments in love. People should see that the Lord’s Prayer is being constantly answered in our lives. In other words, people should see us as being “holy” because we are filled with the Holy Spirit. That does not mean we are prudes or out of contact with the world. Rather we have the Holy Spirit that can make the things of this world holy, through love and forgiveness. This is because the Holy Spirit gives the Gospel of Christ into our hearts. We are holy, not because of what we do or do not do, but because Christ has forgiven our sins and the Holy Spirit has given us faith. In this way we are holy.

We live by the flame of the Holy Spirit in our hearts.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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