Day of Pentecost Sermon

2023 Day of Pentecost – Genesis 11:1-9, Acts 2:1-11; John 14:23-31a

In the name of the Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. 

When Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden because of their disobedience, God told Adam that his days of easy living were over.  Making a life was going to be a struggle. 

cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; ¹⁸ thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹ By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground… (Genesis 3:17b-19a)  Work and life will be hard.

As we continue through the first 11 chapters of Genesis, we see that man’s disobedience continues from one generation to another. We do not learn.  We do not fundamentally change. God even destroys the inhabitants of the earth through the flood. Yet, Noah’s descendants persist in selfish, foolish, idolatrous choices. The lessons of the immediate past are lost on them. 

The first lesson from Genesis 11 illustrates the sinful pride, ambition, and arrogance of those who moved to the Plain of Shinar. They are bound and determined to live for themselves, shape their own future, and build a fortress and high tower that reaches into the heavens. They strive to be just like God, maybe even better.  They do not want to flourish throughout the earth, they will just settle in at Babel and be the envy of everyone else. 

As Adam and Eve were removed from the comfort and protection of Eden because of their disobedience; now the descendants of Noah will be removed from the ease and comfort of a single language because of their disobedience. When God instills different languages into the people, their plans are shattered. They can no longer communicate or work together.  They shortly become groups of people who are suspicious of or fear the other groups. At the very least, they are separated. Their separation from one another mirrors their separation from God.  

From the very beginning, as God brought discipline down on Adam and the rest of humankind, he also extended promises.  He promised salvation that is to come. On this feast of Pentecost, we rejoice that Jesus has come. 

Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, is God Incarnate.  In Israel, Jesus is crucified on the cross, risen from the dead, and ascended into heaven. It is time now for the whole world, people of every nation, race, and language to learn that their salvation has come to them.  They no longer must live in a state of separation from God or one another.  Jesus Christ is crucified and risen for them so that they can know peace with God.  On account of the saving work of Christ’s cross, they too can experience the renewal of forgiveness and the joy of a life where sin, death, and the devil no longer have the final word on our lives. 

It is time for the words of Jesus and his gift of salvation to move beyond the small area of his ministry and extend outward into the world. As the people have moved over the earth, now the Gospel must join them. 

In Matthew 28, Jesus issues the Great Commission: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  

I imagine that more than one Apostle wondered “how is this going to come about?” Jesus told them to wait. They did. The Day of Pentecost provided the answer.  Earlier, Jesus promised the Apostles that the Father will send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will bring to their remembrance all that Jesus said and did. The Holy Spirit will also create faith within those who hear the Word so they can receive the joyous Gospel of Christ and his cross.  The Holy Spirit will also cross the language barrier. The Lord God can disrupt language and communication. The Lord God can also cross the language barrier when it suits the Lord’s purposes.  

In his first letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy what he and his community of faith should pray for. Then, he says, ³ This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,⁴ who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man^[a] Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:3-6) 

Indeed, our God does want everyone to be saved.  We are saved by knowing the spiritual truth about ourselves and knowing where our true help is found.  The truth about ourselves is that left in our natural state, we are sinners living in separation from God. The truth is that we cannot save ourselves. Our true help is found outside ourselves in the gift of the Christ who is born for us, dies on the cross for us, and rises from the dead for us. On account of Christ, we are reconciled to the Father. On account of Christ Jesus, we receive forgiveness from our heavenly Father. The Holy Spirit provides the means to hear this Good News and to receive Christ with faith. 

There is no language that the Holy Spirit does not know. On the Day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit showed the world that He can use 11 Apostles in a dramatic way so that every language group and nation represented in Jerusalem on that day heard the Gospel in their native tongue. The Holy Spirit worked through the Apostle Peter’s preaching so that by the end of that day, 3,000 people came to faith and were baptized by the Apostles.  On that day the Holy Spirit used language to unite people in faith with faith in Jesus the crucified and risen. 

The work of the Holy Spirit continues through the faithful proclamation of the church. We proclaim God’s Law and Gospel. We instruct on God’s commands. We also teach and preach that true Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our faith is the working of the Holy Spirit within us to grasp the gift of Christ’s unmerited gift of salvation and His forgiveness conferred upon us.  

As this is the 100^th anniversary year of Emmaus and her ministry in this region of the world, we give thanks to the Lord for the faithful proclamation of her pastors and the congregation.  In the past, the Holy Spirit has worked through this congregation to raise people in the Christian faith. As we look to the next century of Emmaus’ ministry, we ask that the Lord keep us faithful to the Apostolic ministry entrusted to us. We want Emmaus to be THAT church where anyone coming through the door will encounter a congregation eager to receive a faithful Lutheran exposition of the Scriptures in preaching and catechesis, and, to receive with joy the blessed gift of grace and forgiveness conferred upon us through the Sacraments of Baptism and Communion.  We desire that the Holy Spirit continue to energize our worship and fellowship so that our faith in Christ crucified and risen manifests itself in our participation in the liturgy, hymn singing, prayers, and our care for one another. We walk into the future together with the faith that the Holy Spirit instilled in us to keep our eyes firmly on the cross and trust in God’s promises. 

The peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.