Pentecost Sermon
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen
Please pray with me. Come Holy Spirit, and pour out upon each one of us Your gracious gifts. Fill us with the Love of God and neighbor, by the power of the Gospel of Christ, that we might be united with everyone in this (and every land throughout the earth) who call upon Christ’s name in faith.
I am heartbroken today. If you have been following national news you would almost undoubtedly have heard the name George Floyd. You would have seen footage of protest, riots and looting in the streets of Minneapolis and St. Paul. These are my cities. I know those streets. I know the community where Floyd was needlessly killed by the reckless and careless behavior of those Minneapolis police officers. I have close friends who live in that community. I went to school at Concordia St. Paul, literally just a walking bridge over I-94 from the scene of riots and looting. I know the Mayor of St. Paul Melvin Carter – I know his parents, I’ve been messaging with His sister Alanna today, sending prayers for their family and especially for Melvin who (among other local and national authorities) has to try to establish and maintain peace in the chaotic aftermath. My heart breaks for the family of George Floyd. Heart breaks for the community. My heart breaks for my own family and friends and all of the people now living in anger, fear, confusion and mourning, who are left to pick up the pieces of these broken cities…the broken communities.
And what is at the center of all of this brokenness? Many will say it is racism. Some will even give a slightly more nuanced answer and say it is racial injustice. Is this true? Yes. But only in part.
To be sure, the cries of protest calling for justice – the additional cries calling for an end to societal systems and mentalities that disadvantage and greatly increase the risk of loss of life for certain individuals based solely on their skin color – these cries for justice are warranted. God hears those cries. How long, O Lord? Lord, have mercy. However, racism itself is just one flavor of the bigger issue at hand that results not only in the utter disregard for the life of a fellow human being, but also in riots, arson and looting that has been taking place. And what is that bigger issue? Sin. Our sinful hearts. Each and every one of us.
No you may not be racist, but it is your sinful heart that allows you to turn a deaf ear to those cracking vulgar racist jokes. You may not go out looting, but it is your sinful heart that justifies the selfish actions of others, teaching your children that your neighbor’s well-being is not their concern. It is my sinful heart that shrinks back at calling sin into the light, fearing I might cause offense to you…that you might choose not to walk back through the doors of this sanctuary. It is each one of our sinful hearts that just lazily sits by and does little to nothing in order to bring the peace and healing of Christ to the hurting and broken people just outside of the walls of this building.
There are all kinds of earthly divides that polarize our world today, and the truth is this has been going on ever since Adam and Eve took those first rebellious bites from the forbidden fruit. In our Epistle reading we hear the amazing sign the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost (the birthday of the Church) 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection. 10 days after His ascension. On Pentecost we see the momentary undoing of what occurred thousands of years before at the tower of Babel just a few generations after the Flood.
At the Babel God created the language barrier as an earthly divide to drive wedge between sinful people so that they may not spread and propagate the message of their own glory and the greatness of their mighty deeds. On Pentecost God removes this earthly divide so that the people of God could spread the message of His glory and His mighty deeds among all people. Why? Because God is the God of all people and all people are precious in His sight. He does not desire the death of even the wicked, but that they would turn to Him and be saved from their own sinful hearts.
In the verses in Acts that immediately follow today’s reading we hear the continuation of Peter’s message to the crowds that gathered that Pentecost morning. He stood there and cried out all of the injustices that the sinful hearts that gathered there were guilty of. We will hear it next week, but I think it’s worth hearing this week in light of recent events:
Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know--this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. (Act 2:22-23)
Now don’t hear what I am not saying. I am not trying to make George Floyd into some kind of a messiah or even a martyr. He didn’t die for a noble cause, or to save anyone. His death was utterly heartbreaking, unnecessary and pointless. But like Christ’s death, Floyds death was an injustice, at the hands of lawless men. And like Christ’s, George Floyd’s blood is on each one of our hands – myself included.
Each of us plays our own sinful part in allowing the injustices, and the hatred, and the animosity in our communities to fester and grow increasing the divide in our society and the world.
But what is the answer? Is it more laws? Is it more Protests? Is in more riots and looting? No, No, and an absolute No. While some will argue that these things bring results, from what I have observed in my 40 years of life, the results of these are often lacking, short-lived, and the collateral damage always leads to more division in society. We want peace. Peace not as the world gives, but only as Christ and His Kingdom can bring. Amen?
The Church’s answer should and must always be the Kingdom answer. The Gospel is the message of the Kingdom of God come to us in the incarnation of Christ. The Kingdom of God comes to us through the forgiveness, redemption and salvation that can only come through Christ. It reconciles us to God AND it reconciles us to each other.
In our Reading from Acts the people questioned among themselves saying “What does this mean?” What did it meant that these backwater Galileans were somehow able to proclaim the Gospel of God’s mighty works through Christ to each of them in their own native languages? What did it mean? It meant that the peace of God that come through Christ is for all people regardless of language, nationality, ethnic origin or skin color. But it also meant not only peace with God but peace between groups previously divided by self-glorifying, self-preserving, sinful hearts.
When Peter cried out, charging the crowd as guilty of Christ’s murder, his next words were not a cry for justice. They were not a cry for vengeance. Peter’s words were the Spirit filled words of Christ and His Kingdom come. Peter called on them to repent…repent and receive the forgiveness of sins through baptism in the name of Jesus. He pronounced to them Christ’s promise of the Holy Spirit. And He called on them to save themselves from this crooked generation.
Church of God. Jesus is Your Savior. He is the only Savior. And He is the Savior of each and every person God brings into Your life. You have been baptized in Jesus’ name, in accordance with His command, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And He has given you the Holy Spirit as a deposit of Your Salvation.
Christ has called each of us to walk in step with the Spirit – to save ourselves from this crooked generation. What does that mean? Not that our salvation depends on us, but rather that we should not live as people of this world, seeking the peace of this world and rewards of this world. No. We are called to live as people with our hearts focus on the life of the world to come. We are to seek the peace (and bring the peace) that only Christ can give. We are to seek the eternal rewards that come not through hate, fear, or self-preservation, but through the Spirit of Love and forgiveness, which comes from God. The Spirit that is like living water flowing out of our hearts, filling us up to overflowing so that it flows out onto everybody around us.
People of God, this is what the church has always been about and has always been called to do. When we face worldly problems we are not to try to find worldly answers, but we are to bring the one heavenly answer that heals all brokenness. Christ Jesus, crucified and risen for our sin and justification. When we see sin in the world we are not called to react in sin, but to bring it into the light of truth where it can be exposed for what it is. When we see injustice in our world, the Church is not called to act out in vengeance, but to bring mercy to the oppressed and the call of repentance and a word of forgiveness to the oppressor. When we see divisions and distrust in our communities we are to bravely and humbly step into that divide and be advocates for peace and reconciliation.
We are at a moment of opportunity. Hearts and minds are churning with questions that only we have the true answer to. This is not some social gospel. There is only one Gospel: forgiveness, life and salvation through Christ. But this Spirit filled life of speaking truth and love, of bringing love and mercy, preaching repentance and forgiveness, sowing peace and reconciliation…this Spirit-filled life is living the one true Gospel life. In the Words of Moses, “Would that all of the LORD’s people were prophets, that the Lord would put His Spirit on [each of us].” On this celebration of Pentecost, let us remember that in our baptism God did in deed put His Spirit on each one of us. May His Holy Spirit bubble up in our hearts to overflowing, so that the peace we have in Christ might be lived out in all we say and do; In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.
Holy Spirit, Light Divine, Cause the Word concerning Christ to shine in us, that we may joyfully obey our heavenly Father’s will and remain in the faith as we seek to bring justice and peace into this world of sin. Strengthen us to do this difficult work in service to Your Glorious name and to our neighbor, so that we may not turn aside in the face of trials and discouragement. And finally Holy Spirit, prepare the hearts of those to whom we seek to bring the Gospel of peace, that as we do so with bold love we may rejoice both in this world, and the next, in the salvation that You will work in the lives of others even thorugh our weakness; in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.