1. Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Heavenly Father, and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. The message from God’s Word, as we celebrate the Festival of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church, is taken from Acts 2:1-21, it’s entitled, “The Spirit Comes Down,” dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
2. It was finished! Jesus’ death on the cross had paid for every sin of every man, woman, and child, of every age and of every language and nation. Jesus’ resurrection had proved it. God the Father was satisfied that Jesus’ death had atoned for every sin of every man, woman, and child, of every age and of every language and nation. And Jesus’ ascension back to heaven had shown that Jesus’ cross had opened heaven to every man, woman, and child, of every age and of every language and nation. It was finished!
3. And yet there was and is more to be done. Because unless men, women, and children whenever and wherever they were living heard about Jesus’ death and resurrection and were brought to believe it, no one would be saved. And that’s where today, Pentecost, comes in. Beginning on the day of Pentecost, but now every day since, The Spirit Comes Down upon the Christian church to do and to move us, the church, to do what is still to be done—for every man, woman, and child, of every age and of every language and nation.
4. The Spirit comes down to fulfill the exodus of the church. Acts 2:1–3 says, “1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them.” 1500 years before, a mighty wind had blown for God’s people. That mighty wind had parted the Red Sea. Miraculously, God had completed Israel’s exodus from Egypt, giving them new life in freedom. The wind that blew the waters back now fills the Upper Room where the disciples were waiting for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. There’s a potentially interesting word play here: this word for “wind” can also mean “breath,” as in “the breath of life.” It’s not surprising that the Holy Spirit, “the Lord and giver of life,” might wish to come with wind. After all, the Spirit has come to give us life.
5. The exodus that gave Israel new life in freedom the Spirit comes down to work again for the church. What Christ has won (finished!) on the cross the Spirit now delivers. The Spirit brings us through waters of our own, Baptism, from slavery to a new life of freedom from our sin, death, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Baptism creates faith in Jesus’ saving work in our hearts so that we receive his forgiveness of every sin and life eternal.
6. The Spirit comes to begin the last days for the church. Acts 2:14–21 says, “14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15 For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16 But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17 “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18 even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 20 the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” Amid all the excitement of wind, fire, and the apostles’ many languages, Peter declares to the gathering crowd that this is a sign of the Last Days. The Prophet Joel had promised that the Spirit would come in the last days. With Jesus’ work finished on the cross and the Holy Spirit poured out, the church is living the last days between Jesus’ ascension and return to judge the living and the dead.
7. The last days are the time to repent! We can’t face Christ’s return in our sin! Peter is calling us to take a sober look at ourselves. Whom have I wronged with my words and my deeds? What am I to do? Today, Pentecost, is the day to repent of our sins and to Jesus for His forgiveness, grace, and mercy!
8. But the Holy Spirit has come down to sanctify us and make us holy, God’s church. Fire often symbolizes purification, and the fire that will purify God’s people now rests upon the assembled church. When we repent, our impurities are burned away. We will dwell with Christ in holiness and righteousness forever.
9. All people are quite familiar with the primary uses of fire. The first is destructive—occasionally intentional, more often accidental. It threatens everything we own, and even our lives, but, as in the case of a forest or prairie fire, what comes after is renewal. Another use of fire is life-giving, as the warmth of a fire can literally save our lives on a cold winter’s night.
10. But, there is another use that may be less familiar: the use of fire for purification. “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord” (Mal 3:3). One who seeks to purify any metal by removing impurities must melt it with intense heat, which separates the metal that you want from that which is to be discarded. The result is “pure” gold or silver. We can see this process at work throughout our lives as the Lord uses the sorrows and struggles of this life to drive away sin and break every idol. The day of Pentecost points us to the Last Day (Acts 2:17), when this work will be brought to its fulfillment. We will emerge on the other side clean and pure to live before him forever!
11. The Holy Spirit comes down to reverse Babel through the church. Acts 2:4–11 says, “4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 And they were amazed and astonished, saying, “Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? 9 Parthians and Medes and Elamites and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, 11 both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians—we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God.” Remember the mess we made (make!) in our sinful pride—and how God had to deal with us at the Tower of Babel in Gen 11:1–9, our first reading for this Day of Pentecost? God had to confuse the languages to humble the proud likes of us. Think of the confusion, alienation, rivalries, distrust that our sinful separation has wreaked on the world ever since.
12. As the 1967 movie “Cool Hand Luke” starring Paul Newman has put it, "What we've got here is failure to communicate." It’s spoken by the prison captain during a tense moment in the movie. The quote has since become iconic, often used to highlight breakdowns in understanding or authority.
13. Martin Luther called God’s action at Babel a greater judgment than the flood of Noah’s day. That judgment of the Flood wiped out only a single generation of humanity. But, God confusing the languages at Babel, has caused confusion, suspicion, and hatred in every generation since then, down to our broken, disorderly world. Why is nation pitted against nation and individual against individual? We have an answer here in the confusion of languages in Genesis 11. Thanks be to God the Holy Spirit begins to reverse the babble at Babel at Pentecost.
14. At Pentecost, the tongues that were confused have now been set aright. The Holy Spirit has come to send the church—you and me—into the world. As the apostles spoke, the church now speaks the one language of Jesus’ cross in every language. The scattered nations are gathered into the one church.
15. Every man, woman, and child, of every age and of every language and nation. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Amen. Now the peace of God that passes all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, until life everlasting. Amen.
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