If there’s one day within the life of the Church that can produce the unintended consequence of causing people to feel grossly inadequate in their faithful service to God, it’s this day—Pentecost. Today we hear about faithful disciples boldly and masterfully speaking in tongues, and thousands of people hearing, repenting, and converting. The Church grew by thousands seemingly because of the amazing evangelistic efforts of a few. There”s not a single pastor or congregation out there who wouldn’t love to experience even a fraction of such extraordinary and miraculous results. If only…. And this is where the feelings of inadequacy start to surface.
In proud fashion, though, we miss the point, and so often attempt to overcome these feelings of inadequacy by our own effort. We try to manufacture and re-produce the results that God blessed at Pentecost. Churches attempt it all the time. The thought is “re-produce the excitement; manufacture some awe and inspiration, and perhaps you’ll also re-produce the massive influx of new members. If you’re not putting on the biggest, most entertaining and uplifting show in town, then you’re doing something wrong. You don’t stand a chance. You’ll never get that Pentecost experience.”
Well…I don’t believe a word of that. You know why? It’s not true. It’s not right. It’s not faithful to God’s Word. You see, the disciples never set out to have this Pentecost experience. They didn’t organize focus groups and community polls to find out what the public masses were looking for so that they could “scratch the itch of the masses” and make a big public splash. They didn’t sit down at a board meeting and discuss membership data, and formulate marketing plans and advertising so that they could increase their market share. They didn’t even wake up that morning with the intention of going out from behind the safety of their locked doors. It wasn’t their plans and purposes and intentions that made that Pentecost what it was. It was Almighty God who did this.
It was the work of the Holy Spirit, who not only spoke the Truth of the Gospel through these men, endowing them with the gift of proclamation in foreign tongues, but who also summoned a huge crowd of people to the disciples so that the crowd could even hear the Gospel proclaimed to them. Remember: The text tells us that the sound of this great rushing wind caused everyone to come running so that they could find out what was going on. Faith comes by hearing. This hearing of the wind led the masses right to the source and wellspring of the Gospel in the Words which were proclaimed. These men didn’t manufacture anything. In terms of “success,” these men were grossly inadequate, in and of themselves. Left to their own devices and schemes and plans, they would’ve produced nothing but ruin and despair. This Pentecost miracle was all God’s working. All glory, honor, and credit belongs to Him.
To say that we’re also grossly inadequate in our personal capabilities to save and deliver people from damnation is an understatement. We’re not inadequate. We’re completely and utterly incapable, in and of ourselves…just like those first disciples were on that Pentecost Sunday. We are not able to overcome our inadequacies, for we are sinful and selfish. In our attempts to lead a perfect Christian life we have failed, yet we want to grow the church by our own means and our own plans, without realizing the source of the growth. We can talk about growth all day, and tell people to grow the church all we want, but it will never take place unless the Lord grants the increase through His chosen message and His chosen means. The miracle of Pentecost that produced growth did not come through the miraculous signs of rushing wind, tongues of fire, or suddenly speaking in foreign languages. Peter later in chapter 2 of Acts explained what is the source of the miracle of Pentecost, and what is the content of the message that converts and saves: Jesus who was crucified and raised from the dead is the Lord and is the Christ. As Peter said: “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Also “that Jesus was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.”
To this message the Jews who had been gathered to celebrate the Festival of Weeks asked, “Brothers, what shall we do?” and the answer was: “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.”
Dear Friends in Christ, despite your sin and mine, this same Jesus Christ who was crucified, raised, and ascended into heaven has given you forgiveness for your sin. He has already given you your Pentecost in your Baptism where you were washed in His atoning blood and received His living Word. Though you have been inadequate to be saved and to serve, the blood of Jesus Christ is more than adequate to cover your sin and make you Holy. His Holy Spirit has been given to you through His Word and you have received the miracle of faith to confess His name. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit continue to use their humble means with miraculous results as the Word is faithfully preached and spoken through Baptism, Absolution, and this Divine Service to bring you and many others again to Himself and bind you to the salvation and forgiveness given to you for Jesus Christ’s sake.
You have heard the message that Jesus is the Christ and you are forgiven for His sake, you are given life eternal through faith in Him who was crucified, risen, and ascended; you are about to receive the very body and blood of Christ for the forgiveness of sin and the strengthening of your faith, so that through Him you are again receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit. Now you have heard His Word once more. Even as you have had His Word and name given you as you were baptized for the forgiveness of sins. Now by the power of the Helper you are able to love Jesus and keep His Word even as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have come and made their home in your hearts and minds giving you that saving faith.
Now you able to confess with your tongues that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior. Keep the mercies of His cross ever before you and do not worry what you will say. Study this Word and meditate upon it day and night and be blessed in the delight of the Lord. The Holy Spirit will speak through you in the simple language of His love, joy, and the confession of faith in the words and deeds which He has planted into you.
This day, we will hear the confession of faith by Jonathan Torrance, the very affirmation of that faith given in His Baptism. The same confession that we all have or should be willing to make every day: “I intend to live according to the Word of God, and in faith, word, and deed, to remain true to God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, even to death by the grace of God, to be willing to remain steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death rather than fall away from it.” God grant us the power to confess this and hold fast.
How can we? Can we stand firm to this end? Not by ourselves, but by His Spirit. How can we grow the Church or grow in our faith? Not by lessening the Word of God, but by magnifying His Word and meditating upon it day and night. By repeating faithfully, God’s Words which have been repeated to us in our hearing, preached to us, taught to us, sung to us, memorized by us, in the liturgy, the catechism, in godly hymns and spiritual songs which declare the faith and make us ready to give an answer, to speak that confession made by the disciples at Pentecost to a world that so greatly needs to hear that word of Hope and salvation by the forgiveness of their sins in Christ crucified and raised.
By faithfulness to His Word and the receiving of it, God will bless the increase. By virtue of their baptism, all of God’s people may speak forth the mighty works of God in their own language, in their own vocations, because regardless of tongue or ability, the message is from the Lord and the message is the Lord. It is the sign of the cross and the empty tomb. It is the message of life, salvation, hope, and forgiveness because the Sacrifice of God’s Son Jesus Christ is more than adequate to pay for your sins and the sins of the world. This message is exciting in and of itself. It does not need to be packaged in slick modern marketing or in stage shows. The message is His and the results are His, and they are magnificent! It has come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Therefore, come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love, through faith in Jesus Christ to your glory and our salvation. Alleluia and Amen!
Pr. Aaron Kangas