Pentecost 3 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“A God Who Sets His Face Toward You”

Text: Luke 9:51-62; 1 Kings 19:9b-21 (Galatians 5:1, 13-25)

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

When the days drew near for [Jesus] to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

Jesus had been going about His business for some time now. Healing, visiting, preaching, compassioning, welcoming, blessing, teaching, feeding, raising, strengthening, mercying, forgiving. But now the days drew near for His real work. The reason why He came. The small talk was over. Now it was down to brass tacks. All this other stuff was great, but it would all mean nothing had Jesus not gone to Jerusalem. He could have stayed up in Galilee and Samaria, kept doing amazing things, lead a comfortable life. 

But Jesus wanted so much more than that. Not for Himself, of course, but for you. That all that He did be not just for a time, but forever. To give the people then, and you now, life forever. And there was only one way to do that: the cross. To die and then rise from death. To atone for your sins and so break the power of sin, death, and the devil over you. And so when the days drew near for Jesus to be taken up - that is, taken up on the cross, He did not turn away - He set His face to go to Jerusalem. He would not be stopped. He was a man on a mission.

And thank God for that! But not just that Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem, but that long before this, God set His face toward us. That is, in fact, why Jesus was there in the first place. Because God sets His face toward us. He doesn’t turn His back on us, leave us, or ignore us. When we turn the wrong way, when we turn toward sin, when we turn away from God and toward any of the myriad things in this world that we fear, love, and trust more than God, still God sets His face toward us. Which, really, is our only hope.

Just ask Adam and Eve. Who came to them and called to them and turned toward them and promised them a Saviour after they sinned and were hiding in fear and shame? 

Ask Abraham. Who came to him and called him and promised to make him a great nation and give him a son when he was worshipping false gods and had given up on having an heir? 

Ask Moses, who was settling into a comfortable and quiet life in the desert, tending sheep after escaping Egypt as a murderer. Who came to him in the burning bush and spoke to him and showed himself to him and sent him back to Egypt to lead His people out of their slavery there, and who divided the Red Sea for them and gave them manna to eat and water from a rock to drink? 

Ask . . . ask Elijah.

We heard about Elijah in the Old Testament reading today. He didn’t want to be a prophet anymore and so he ran away. Even though God had just given him a great victory over the 450 prophets of Baal - 450 against 1, and the one, won! Still, Elijah thought, he could read the handwriting on the wall. The wicked had grown mighty and the faithful all seemed to have melted away. He was on the top of Queen Jezebel’s most wanted list. So time to get out of Dodge. 

And God does as He usually does. He set His face toward Elijah and came to him. A God of grace, to be sure.

But you’re not so sure, are you? Because, to be honest, there are times when it seems God isn’t like that, and you think you’re on your own. That God’s face isn’t toward you. That He’s a million miles away and doesn’t see the toubles in your life - or if He does, He’s not doing anything about them. When your life takes a sudden, unexpected turn; your prayers seem to go unheard and unanswered; everything is going wrong for you and right for everyone else; your pain and heartache and confusion and struggles seem like they will never end. It seems as if God has turned His back on you.

Maybe you remember a time like that in your life. Maybe you’re in one right now. Maybe you haven’t felt like that yet . . . but that day is coming. Because that’s exactly how satan wants you to think and feel. And so he comes at you like he did Elijah, with big, earth-quaking problems and troubles, loud, thunderous accusations, burning doubts and worries, and if all you see and look at is those things - yeah, yikes! 

But here’s the thing: the bully is full of bluster; the strong one is quiet and confident. The bully rants and rages; the strong one stands firm and steadfast. The bully wants you to pay attention to him and fear; the strong one sets his face toward you to defend you. He doesn’t need to yell or rage; He simply says: I got it. I’m here for you. I’ll take care of you. Don’t worry about him. He’s all talk. I got it. 

That’s how God was with Elijah and what He told him. And it’s why Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem. It is the quietness and confidence of a God in control, who is not panicking, but who comes peacefully to give peace. The situation is well in hand to God, who knows what has been done, needs to be done, and what will be done. And how He will do it.

So when we doubt God, or worry, or think Him a million miles away, it is unbelief, of course. Not believing Him or His promises. Our thinking that God will not act now as He has in the past. That God will not act for me as He has for others. That I cannot be certain of the future and what God will do. 

But in all those ways, with that kind of thinking, we are really reflecting onto God what is true of ourselves. For in truth, it is we who are unreliable, unfaithful, inconsistent, and uncertain. It is we who change from one day to the next. It is we who waver in our determination, and whose promises are at best hopeful outcomes, and at worst empty words. It is we who put our hands to the plow and then look back. It is we who run away and hide in caves of despair and hopelessness - not God. And yet, how often do we think this of God, and so accuse Him of our sin?

So how does God respond this? He takes it. Literally, He takes it. He does not reject us, but takes our sin, sets His face to go to Jerusalem, and takes it to the cross. He proves His faithfulness. Not because He needed to prove it, but because we who are weak and uncertain and fearful and doubting need it. And so God gives it. He proves His faithfulness to us again and again and again. For He is determined to be not just a God, but to be your God, your Saviour. That as St. Paul said in his letter to the Galatians that we heard today, we would be set free to live a new life, and no longer live, as St. Paul said, under the yoke of slavery to sin.

That’s why Jesus rebuked James and John, when they asked Him: Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them? Ever been there? Thinking of a few people who could use a little fire from heaven to light them up? Me too.

The disciples didn’t get it. Yet. That fire they wanted for others . . . Jesus came to take it Himself. That it not consume the Samaritans, that it not consume James and John, and that it not consume you and me, but that it consume Him on the cross. No matter who you are or what you have been. Jesus is the face of God toward all people. That you may know His love and His faithfulness, His giving and self-giving, and receive His forgiveness and life.

So today, Jesus still is sending messengers to prepare His way. Because still the call is going out to follow. To follow Him. But there are a million reasons not to, isn’t there? Someone asked me this week about those we heard about in the Holy Gospel, what was so wrong with what they said? Why couldn’t they have done those things and then gone to Jerusalem and followed Jesus? I suppose they could have. But as I thought about that, it seems like a very 21st century attitude to have - that there is plenty of time, we live in a world where we can travel freely and easily, and that taking care of the things of this world comes first . . . and then I’ll follow, Jesus. Then I’ll come after you. Then.

But you know how that goes. Something else then comes up, ‘cause something else always comes up. Life doesn’t slow down, but gets busier and busier. Which I think is yet another tool satan uses - to make us too busy for Jesus, too busy to follow now. And the truth is, none of us knows how much later there is for us. 

And Jesus doesn’t want His gifts for you later; He wants them for you now. And He wants a new life for you now. Not only because later might not come, but also because it’s better for you now, to be free from worry and anxiety and doubt and fear. And live in His quietness and confidence.

So today, Jesus still is sending messengers to prepare His way. Pastors to preach, friends to counsel and encourage us, to call us from the entanglements of this world and the false and empty promises of sin, to find your life in Him alone. The life He gives to you in baptism, where you are born from above as His children and enlivened with His Holy Spirit. The life that He nourishes and sustains in you with His Word of forgiveness and with the food of His Body and Blood. The life that He bids you live now, and that He promises you will live forever. Follow me, He says, to you.

And yes, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. What God has done in the past, He will do now and in the future. His faithfulness to others will be His faithfulness to you. For in setting His face toward Jerusalem, He has set His face toward you. To give Himself for you on the cross, and now to give Himself to you here in His Body and Blood. That you never be forsaken, that you never be alone, that your face be always set toward Him. Toward Him who is your God, your life, your Saviour, your all.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pentecost 2 Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“Set Free by Jesus”

Text: Luke 8:26-39; Galatians 3:23-4:7

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

I’m not saying you have a demon . . . but have you ever been driven by something within you, like the man we heard about in the Gospel today? 

It was in the country of the Gerasenes, up north, east of Galilee. Jesus crossed over the Sea of Galilee with His disciples, as He often did. And this day, when He stepped out onto the shore, this man met Him. Who had demons. Plural. A great many of them. Legion. He was their home. And they didn’t want to leave. 

By the time they speak, we find out that Jesus had already commanded them to come out. Jesus knew the man’s plight, and as He always does, had compassion on him, to set him free from this scourge that had bound him for apparently some time. For he was well known in the region. They had tried to control him with guards and chains and shackles. But nothing worked. Until now. Until Jesus.

It was the demons’ worst nightmare. The day they dreaded. The Almighty God had come to earth in the man Jesus of Nazareth. When Jesus spoke, they knew the voice. It was the voice of the Creator. The voice of the One they had rebelled against and so had been thrown down from heaven to the earth. And so now homeless, they were in search of a home. Which they found in this man. Until now. Until Jesus.

So when they heard that voice, coming out of this man, they panicked. They fall down before Jesus - not that they wanted to! - and shriek, What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me. They knew the day was coming, when they would be cast into the abyss, but not yet! Please, not yet! Let us go into the pigs instead, Jesus. Jesus allows them to, and at once, the herd rushes down the steep bank into the Sea of Galilee, and is drowned. Did the demons make the pigs do that? Or did the pigs do that to get away from the demons?

But the man, he is set free. The Word of God, His Saviour, set him free. 

Now what about you?

I’m not saying you have a demon . . . but have you ever been driven by something within you, like the man we heard about in the Gospel today? Something that is tormenting you?

Maybe your anger, which causes you to lash out at others, and hurt them with your words or deeds. Or maybe for you it is lust that drives you to do things that are hurtful, shameful, and harmful to yourself and others. What about envy? Has your desire for something driven you to covet what another has and so get it for yourself? Pride sometimes drives us to do anything, to say anything, to protect our place and reputation. Even something like despair can drive us and control us into withdrawing into our own deserts and separating ourselves from those we are to love and serve. And if you’re like me, you do these things even though you don’t want to. Even though you know they’re wrong. Even though you don’t want to be driven by these things, and yet . . . there they are. 

So I’m not saying you have a demon . . . but maybe the sin in us makes us more like this man than we’d care to admit. 

So how good that the voice which commanded the demons to come out of that man, the voice that caused the demons to panic and flee, still sounds forth today. To you. Here. In compassion. His voice that sounded forth when you were baptized, when you were - as Paul said today to the Galatians - adopted as sons (and daughters) of God. And His voice that tells you: I forgive you all your sins. That is to say, I set you free from the guilt and condemnation of your sin. For all the sin your anger causes, all the sin that blossoms from your lust, all the sin your envy drives you to do, all the sin your pride wells up in you, all your sin, period - I took it, Jesus says. Like when I told the demons they could go into the pigs. All your sin and guilt and condemnation - I told it, I commanded it, to come upon me. And I went not into the Sea with it to be drowned, but to the cross, to be consumed by it there. For you. So that you be set free. Like that man. That man now clothed and in his right mind again. Now you are clothed with my righteousness, and have a mind that thinks right again.

Because, as St. Paul continued in his letter to the Galatians, explaining this: Because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. No longer a slave to your desires and urges. No longer a slave to your sins. You have a new Spirit, a right Spirit, the Holy Spirit, now given to you. That you now be who you are: a son, a daughter, of God.

The devil’s not going to stop trying, though, to lure you back into sin, back into the captivity Jesus has set you free from. Trying to get you to be who you’re not anymore. Making captivity look like freedom and freedom look like captivity. Making evil look good and good look evil. Making you doubt Jesus’ Word - that that’s not really who you are. For look at yourself! Child of God? As if!

It’s a trick, really, as old as time. To label people according to their darkest moment or greatest mistake. Like this man Jesus set free. When the people in that region came out and saw the man sitting with Jesus and clothed and in his right mind . . . they were afraid. Of what? Of who? Of the man, that this was just a trick? Or Jesus?

Because everyone knows this guy is a demoniac! He can’t be trusted. He can’t really be free. And you? Everyone knows you’re the person who got caught doing . . . what? You’re the divorcee. You’re the adulterer. You’re the cheater. You’re the unreliable one. You’re the denier, the doubter, the coward. And even if everyone doesn’t know, you do. And the devil likes to remind you every chance he gets. To convince you that’s who you really are! You are your greatest sin. You are your darkest moment. You are who you are at your worst.

Until now. Until Jesus. Who comes along and speaks a completely different word. Who doesn’t define you by your darkest moment or your greatest sin, but says: you are who I say you are. And I say: you are my child. You are forgiven. You are defined not by your word, the devil’s word, or the world’s word - but by MY word. Because Jesus’ word, the Creator’s word, is a powerful word, a Spirit-filled word, and does what it says. When He speaks forgiveness, you are. When He speak life, you have it. When He speaks salvation, you are free. Like that man. The people were afraid of him, had him labeled and pegged. And maybe the world has done that to you, and maybe you’ve done it to yourself, as well. But Jesus speaks a different word, a better word. And that word is truth.

Not surprisingly, then, the man wanted to stay with Jesus. He begged Jesus, even. For why stay among those who labeled him and were afraid of him? Wouldn’t it be better to stay with Jesus, the compassionate one? And he was probably right. Better, and certainly it would be easier. Just like it would be easier for us to stay here, within the walls and confines of the church. To stay with Jesus and not go out into a world that doesn’t like what we believe very much, and has certain choice labels for us. 

But Jesus has other plans. Return to your home, He tells the man, and declare how much God has done for you. And the man did. And, I have to believe, with more than his words. Just his very presence among the people, dressed and in his right mind, was a testimony to them of what Jesus had done. And maybe, over time, his label changed. From the man who was possessed by demons, to the man Jesus set free. That would be a good change. For him, and for others.

And so are we sent. To our homes, to our workplaces, to our schools, to our neigborhoods, to declare how much God has done for you. And you do that with your words, yes. But also with your deeds. Your forgiveness for others. Your love and compassion. Your good and helpful and serving works. How you label others not with their darkest moments and greatest sins, but looking at them with new eyes. Jesus’ eyes. The way He looked at people. For His Spirit has been given to you. To set you free from the old to live a new life.

We’re not told if Jesus and this man ever crossed paths again - at least, not on this side of eternity. But good news for you! You do! Here, every Sunday. As Jesus comes here for you every week, with His Word, with His forgiveness, and to feed you with His own Body and Blood. And you get to hear, you get to receive, you get to eat. And so every week you are assured of who you are - that you believe not the voice within you, or what the world says, or what the devil would like you to believe. Every week you hear of the cross and the forgiveness Jesus won for you there. Every week you are strengthened by the Spirit, that those old urges and desires control you less and less. And every week you eat and drink from the new tree of life. And if you listen with your new ears, your ears of faith, you can hear the demons shrieking, and the angels singing with us. Glory to God in the highest! Holy, holy holy! For Jesus is here. 

Last week, we heard the Jewish leaders accuse Jesus of having a demon. Today, we heard of a man who really did. And how there was only one thing that really possessed Jesus: love. His love for you and your salvation. No matter who you are, where you’re from, or what you’ve done. Or as we sang:

See, how He sends the pow’rs of evil reeling;

He brings us freedom, light and life and healing.

All men and women, who by guilt are driven,

Now are forgiven (LSB #825 v. 2).

Forgiven. Set free. Children of God. In Jesus. That’s who you are.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Holy Trinity Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“The God of Life”

Text: John 8:48-59

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

The Jews answered [Jesus], “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

These words come at the end of a long conversation between Jesus and the Jewish leaders. It takes place during one of the three great Jewish Feasts each year, the Feast of Tabernacles. So Jerusalem was bursting at the seams. There were throngs of people there. Jesus was teaching in the Temple courts, and so the Jewish leaders use this opportunity to try to discredit Him before the people. 

“Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”

I used to chuckle at those words. Because what is Jesus supposed to say? Yeah, you’re right. I have a demon. You got me! 

So what’s the point? What are the Jewish leaders saying with these words? Well, they’re not just saying that Jesus is crazy, or a few cards short of a full deck. Because to have a demon was a serious thing. Such people were powerful and destructive and caused great harm to themselves and the people around them. Having a demon was the invisible taking control of the visible. Another world breaking into this world - and not for good. So by saying Jesus has a demon, what they were saying is this: Jesus is evil. What He says is evil. What He does is evil. He is dangerous to our society. So He cannot be tolerated. You, Jesus, must be removed from society. Whatever it takes.

The eerie thing is: that sounds an awful lot like what many people are saying today. Which, Jesus said, would happen. If they did it to Him, they will do it to you. Think of any of the hot-button issues swirling about our society today - regarding men and women, marriage, sexuality, gender, abortion. States passing laws restricting any of those in some form are being boycotted to force them to change. One presidential candidate is on record saying that being pro-life is the same as being racist - it cannot be tolerated. Traditional, Christian, Biblical morality is being called evil. And we that teach it and hold to it are evil, too. We are dangerous and cannot be tolerated. 

A couple of weeks ago Janet was confirmed, and today Ray will be. And part of that rite is to say that they intend to live according to the Word of God and continue steadfast in this confession and Church and to suffer all, even death, rather than fall away from it (LSB p. 273). Those might not be just words anymore, like they were when I spoke them back in the day. 

So what does Jesus say in response, then? To this accusation that He is evil and dangerous? Well, He says three things, the last of which is the most important, since He marks it with His saying: Truly, truly, I say to you. First, He says, I honor my Father. Second, He says, I am not seeking my own glory. And third, and as I said, most important: if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

Now that’s quite the claim, coming from a man who is Himself going to see death, and not just any death, but an excruciating, humiliating death on a cross! But that is, in fact, the key to this whole thing. 

For first, Jesus honors His Father by keeping His Word. All that was written of Him in the Old Testament, all that has been prophesied, Jesus is fulfilling - especially His death on the cross for the sin of the world. Jesus honors His Father by keeping His Word.

And then second, He is not seeking His own glory - but His death on the cross is going to show the world the glory of God. The glory of His love and mercy. That you have a God who doesn’t demand that you do this for Him, but who does this for you. 

And then because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, because the creator of life dies for His dying creation, keeping - that is, holding onto, clinging to, treasuring, believing in - His Word, by that Word and promise, we will not see death. Because Jesus saw it for you. And so because of Him, joined to Him in His death and then joined to Him in His resurrection, death is now just something we will pass through as well. In Jesus, death in now but the gate to everlasting life (Psalm 118).

Because the truth is that the invisible God is now visible. Another world is breaking into this one. In Jesus. For good. For life. 

So just as God created all life, giving of Himself and His love . . . Just as He appeared to Moses in the burning bush to bring His people out of slavery and give them life again . . . Just as He gave them life as He brought them out of Egypt, led them through the wilderness in the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire, and fed them with manna and gave them water from a rock to drink . . . Just as He settled them for life in the Promised Land . . . So that same God is now in the flesh and blood of Jesus, the invisible made visible, another world breaking into this one, to do the same for them. 

And just as God gave His Word and promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, that they may have life, even though they had no home . . . Just as He repeated those words and promises to David and Solomon, to give life to His people through them in their own land . . . Just as He then spoke those word and promises through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and all the prophets, to give the people life even while in exile . . . So that same God is now in the flesh and blood of Jesus, the invisible made visible, another world breaking into this one, to do the same for you.

That’s the claim Jesus is making, in fact, when He says: Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM. He is saying that He is God in the flesh. The Creator in the flesh. The life-giver in the flesh. And His Word gives life. The Word spoken, the Word poured, the Word eaten and drunk. And keeping those words, clinging to those words, relying on those words, treasuring those words, you have that life that God created for you, created you for, and always intended you have. 

Though, like Jesus, it may not be easy. And I know it’s not easy for many of you; maybe all of you. You may have a big home, small home, or no home. You may have many and great struggles and trials. You are attacked from doubts within and accusations from without. And maybe you are called evil, too, even when all you’re doing is speaking the truth and trying to help. 

Because the Jewish leaders were right - in this sense: the Word that you believe, the Word that you cling to, the Word that you speak, the Word of Jesus . . . that Word is dangerous. It is dangerous to sin and our sinful wants and desires, and our efforts to be our own gods and our own masters and do whatever we want to do. It is dangerous to the devil and his kingdom, who doesn’t want you to know the truth and who doesn’t want you to live, but to die with him forever. It is dangerous to a world that has been marinating in sin for a long time, and so no longer is able to see things as they really are. Like when you’ve been in a really dark place for a while and then suddenly a bright light is turned on - it hurts, and blinds! You want to get away from it. But the answer is not to turn the light off and go back into the dark, but to leave the light on. Even if it hurts for a while.

And that is, in fact, exactly what Jesus said of Himself at this very festival. A short time before this He had proclaimed: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12). 

So we shouldn’t be surprised if we see things differently than others. If those in the dark call themselves enlightened just because their eyes are more used to the dark than others. But there’s only one light of the world. There’s only one light by which we can see things as they really are. Only one light by which we know good and evil. And that light is not the word of man or the wisdom of man - as great as those might be. That light is the Word and wisdom of God. And the Spirit of God, who works through that Word, enlightens us to see Jesus and the life He brings and gives.

So when you are called evil . . . when what you say and think and do and believe is called evil . . . when you are threatened and called a Samaritan or a -phobe or a hater or a bigot . . . when you are considered dangerous and intolerable . . . what do you do? 

Well, two things. First, speak the truth in love, as Jesus did. Don’t turn off the light and let the darkness have its way. Speak, confess the truth, as we will do in a moment with the Athanasian Creed and as Ray will confess. For the Spirit who worked through the Word in you, will work through the Word in others. And know that even if your worldly wealth is taken away, they cannot take your eternal treasure. Even if they imprison you, they cannot take the freedom you have in Christ. And even if they kill you, they can’t take your life. For your life is eternal in Christ. All of that was signed, sealed, and delivered when Jesus rose from the dead. For as Jesus said, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

And then this too: hear Jesus’ Word spoken to you. His Word which tells you the truth. The truth that you are a child of God. The truth that you are forgiven. The truth that what He has given you no one can take away. The truth of what really is good and evil. The truth of life and death. The truth that here is His Body and Blood to feed and strengthen you in this challenging and confusing world. The truth that gives you life. 

For that’s really what Holy Trinity Sunday is all about: life. The life of God and the God of life. Life created, life restored, life forever. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who want only life for you. Life in communion with your God, life that comes only through His Word. So hear His Word, confess His Word, live His Word. And so give glory to Him who has shown His mercy to us (Introit).

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Pentecost Sermon

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Jesu Juva

“A Life-Changing Event”

Text: Genesis 11:1-9; Acts 2:1-21; John 14:23-31

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

Some events that happen in life are life-changing. Marriage. Or divorce. The death of a loved one. Graduation, and then starting a new job, or at a new school. Moving to a new place. Having a baby. 

Some events happen on a larger scale and change many lives at once. Like natural disasters. The floods and tornadoes in the Midwest have changed a great many lives. The shootings that took place in Virginia Beach last week. Stock market booms and busts have both made or ruined many. 

And some events are world changing events. This past Thursday was the 75th anniversary of D-Day, the beginning of the end of World War 2. September 11, 2001. The Tower of Babel was an event that changed the world forever, dividing peoples and languages that are still separate today.

And maybe for you it was something that no one else knows about, but your life hasn’t been the same since.

Well one of those events is Pentecost. The sending of the Holy Spirit is a life-changing event - and in all three of those categories. The sending of the Holy Spirit changes individual lives, larger groups of people together, and even the world. 

Pentecost certainly changed the lives of the twelve apostles. The mighty rushing wind, the tongues of fire, and then they began to speak in other tongues, other languages. In fact, everyone heard them speaking in his own native language, undoing the confusion and gathering together what had been scattered at the Tower of Babel. And the Spirit brought to the apostles’ remembrance all that Jesus had said to them, and they proclaimed it. It turned them from learners into preachers. And everyone was looking at them - some marveling and some mocking. But clearly their lives had changed. Nothing now was going to be to same again.

But even more than that, Pentecost changed the lives of many. For in response to the preaching of Peter and the eleven, more than 3,000 were baptized that day, and more after that. And then it was as Jesus told them before He ascended - they would go out and be His eye-witnesses not only in Jerusalem, but in all Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Pentecost was truly a life- and world-changing event.

And now, for you. For the Holy Spirit that was poured out on that first Pentecost wasn’t just poured out that day - it is a pouring out that started on that day and hasn’t stopped since. That first Pentecost the Holy Spirit was poured out through the means of the mighty rushing wind and the tongues of fire. But after that He was poured out through the preaching of the Word and the water of Baptism that changed the lives of the 3,000 that day. And through those means He continues to be poured out. Wherever Jesus as Saviour is preached, the Holy Spirit is working. Wherever the water of Baptism is poured out in the name of the triune God, the Holy Spirit is being poured out in that water. And changing lives. Creating faith in Jesus. Making children of God. Forgiving sins. And bestowing the gifts of peace and hope and holiness.

Now, I don’t know if you ever really thought about Pentecost as a day that changed your life, but it surely did. For the Spirit has been given to you that you might live a new life. A changed life. Because you know what happened? Through the Spirit you have been drawn into the life of God Himself. The Father who created you, the Son who redeemed you, and the Spirit who sanctifies, or holies, you. The Father who sent the Son and the Son who sends the Spirit, and the Spirit who takes you to the Son and the Son who takes you to the Father. God has made His home with you that your home may be with Him. And so this new life is not just something you have or do, it is who you are. It is not like a change of clothes that you have in the closet and put on once in a while, but the blood that pumps through your body and gives you life. Jesus’ very body and blood, in fact, given to you here, in you. Life-changing, to say the least.

Though we must admit, we don’t always live like it. We don’t always live this new life we’ve been given. We allow other things to change our lives and pull us away from this life. Like Eve, we listen to the lies and the seduction and we look for life and define our lives in terms of what we have, what we do, in our successes and achievements. We hang our holiness like that change of clothes in the closet and only get it out once in a while. We forget who we really are.

You know, that’s like getting married but continuing to live apart. Like being homeless and being given a nice new house but going back out to sleep under a bridge. Those things don’t make much sense - but really, neither does being a Christian but not living as one. Yet of this we’re all guilty, to one extent or another. Which is why we confess first thing here every week. And ask for pardon, for absolution, for forgiveness. But with that, this too - what we asked for in the Introit today. With our confession we are asking: Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful, and kindle in them the fire of your love. Come, Holy Spirit, fill my heart! And kindle in me the fire of your love. That I might live as the child of God I am. That I might love God and my neighbor, this week and every week. That the new life you’ve given me be who I am.

And I think kindle is a good word for that work of the Holy Spirit in us. We have a fireplace in our home and to start a fire there, I have to start with kindling - something small that burns easily and that will then grow into a larger fire. And that’s exactly the work of the Holy Spirit in us. He comes and gives us the spark of faith in Jesus. But then He also blows the wind of His forgiveness on that spark that it grow. And He feeds that flame with Jesus’ body and blood that it might grow in us into a fire in our lives. We can’t do it. Without the Holy Spirit, the fire would go out, as the one in my fireplace so often does! But with the Holy Spirit, as He continues to come to you and forgive you and feed you, Christ lives in you and you in Him. So, we pray, come, Holy Spirit!

That’s why Jesus calls Him the Helper. That word can also be translated as Counselor or Advocate or Comforter - but let’s stick to Helper for now. You can understand that in two ways, it seems to me. You can understand that in the sense that I can do it, I just need a little help, a little boost. Or, you can understand it in the sense that I cannot do it, and I need a Helper so that it gets done. It is the latter that Jesus means here. For without the coming of the Holy Spirit, no new life for us. Without the Holy Spirit continuing to come to us and work in us, the flame of faith in Christ would go out. So, we pray, come, Holy Spirit!

And He does. Pentecost continues. For the Holy Spirit is not our possession, a thing to be had. He is a person, one of the three persons of the Godhead, who is continually coming to us and dwelling with us. He is not given to us like money that I put into my pocket and possess, but as a person of the Trinity He is more like persons who give themselves to each other - like a husband and wife - and yet neither possesses the other. But husbands and wives are joined, are united, and continually give themselves to one another since the day they were wed. So too with the Spirit, who continues to give Himself to us, to work in us, to forgive us, to holy us, to give us peace and hope.

So the Holy Spirit isn’t a possession that you can throw away, but more like the spouse that, sadly, is sometimes neglected, grown away from, grown apart from, and in the end winds up in divorce. Some do fall away from the faith once kindled in them without the breath of the Spirit’s Word and forgiveness and the feeding of Christ’s body and blood. So, we pray, come, Holy Spirit! Faithful and true. Keep us faithful and true to the end. You are the Helper we need, for we cannot do it ourselves.

And He is that very Helper Jesus promised to send to us. So after Jesus dies on the cross and rises from the dead, atoning for the sin of the world, your sins and mine, finally, He hands over the Spirit, John tells us (John 19:30). So that the work accomplished on the cross be given to us and kept in us. The winds of the world’s false teachings and the floods of sin try to blow out your faith and drown it. And they would . . . were it not for the Helper. Your Helper. Who helps you keep Jesus’ Word. That’s what Jesus said. And the Word keep there means to hold onto it, cling to it, treasure it. And the Spirit who comes through that Word, enables you to do that Word - to be who you are, and live the new life you’ve been given. That you have peace and hope and joy. In this life, and in the one still to come.

So is knowing that when you die you will live on forever, life-changing? Is knowing that when you sin and really mess up you have forgiveness, life-changing? Is the assurance that you’re not on your own in this world but have a Helper sent to you from Jesus, life-changing? Is having a Father in heaven who loves you and a brother who laid down His life for you, life-changing? Is joy in the midst of sadness, peace in the midst of turmoil, and certainty in the midst of change, life-changing? Is having a faithful God in an unfaithful world, life-changing? 

If so, then Pentecost has changed your life. And more than any other life-changing event. And that can get you through every other life-changing event. 

So Come, Holy Spirit! Fill our hearts and kindle in us the fire of your love. Keep our faith in Christ Jesus. Fill us with your life. Pour out on us your forgiveness. And feed us now with the Body and Blood of our brother and Saviour. That we live and be who we are, who you have made us: children of God.

In the Name of the Father, and of the (+) Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Easter 7 Sermon

No sermon to post today as we were privileged to welcome Chaplain Gregory Todd into our pulpit today while Pastor Douthwaite is away. Thank you Chaplain for your preachment of the Word of God to us today!