Easter 6 [series A] - preached May 25, 2014 at St. Paul Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Centerville, IN

 

Sermon Text:      John 14:15-21

Title:           The Work of the Great Helper.

I.        We cannot keep the commandments of the LORD on our own.

II.       But the Father will send a great Helper to guide us on our way.

THROUGH OUR BAPTISM INTO CHRIST’S DEATH AND RESURRECTION WE RECEIVE THIS GREAT HELPER - THE HOLY SPIRIT WHO GIVES US THE POWER TO BELIEVE.

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

 

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for this Sunday’s homily, is taken from the Gospel lesson just.

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

Jesus speaks to us today in our text and speaks words of strength, encouragement and love. He makes promises on behalf of Himself and of the Holy Trinity – promises He can keep because of His death on His Cross and Resurrection from the grave.

Jesus opens this dialogue with words of love – but also with a very difficult task. Jesus says if you love me – prove it – keep my commandments!

Sounds like a tall order doesn’t it? Haven’t you heard me and countless other pastors preach that it is an impossibility to keep the commandments? Doesn’t our sainted Martin Luther tell us this very same thing in his Catechism? Doesn’t our beloved C.F.W. Walther – one of the founders of our Synod – remind us that it is because of this sinfulness that is in us that we cannot possibly keep the commandments and this is exactly why we need a Savior?

So what in the wide world is Jesus talking about? Is he asking of us the impossible? So it would seem. But we are Lutheran and that means we believe that Scripture interprets Scripture and therefore we look not to just these few words spoken by our Savior but at the surrounding text and – in fact – the entirety of Holy Scripture.

Ever walk into a movie late – one you haven’t seen before – sit down and start watching? And then quickly you are nudging the person next you, ‘Hey, is that house on that lady? Where does the yellow brick road go? Why is she wearing those shiny red shoes?’ then disgusted because you cannot follow the story you walk out of one of the greatest movies of all time.

Why? Because you only saw a short snippet of the story and couldn’t understand where it was going?

Why would Holy Scripture be any different? Why would we think we could go to one or two passages and think we know everything? We have to know the whole of Scripture to get the pieces.

So let’s not just take verse 15 and think we know it all let’s listen to what else Jesus has to say. Again Jesus says,

If you love me, you will keep my commandments…

And what He is conveying here is a statement of faith. He is saying that if we love Him that means we have faith in Him – faith that confesses Him as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. And in confessing Him as the Messiah – the One sent from heaven to save the world – then there will be love for Him. And in confessing and loving Christ we are one with Him. He has become the Mediator, the Substitution, He has died in our place. He has taken upon Himself all of our sins and has died our death. He lived the life we cannot live.  In other words, He has kept the commandments for us – perfectly.  And now we have that life – that perfect life in the commandments applied to us. And so you see, through Him we are keeping and will continue to keep the commandments. Not on our own – but through Him.

Now having said all of that it doesn’t mean that we can go out into life and do whatever we want and it will be ok because Jesus is keeping the commandments for us. That wouldn’t be right and in fact that wouldn’t be true belief would it? No, God the Father expects from us a life that has changed through Christ. He expects from us an effort in our life to love Him and neighbor as we ought. However, left to ourselves this is an impossibility. As sinful human beings we can’t do this ourselves – this changed life. But we aren’t left to ourselves are we? 

II.

Jesus goes on to say…

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. 

Here come those promises spoken of earlier! Jesus promises us a Helper – an Advocate, a Comforter. He promises us His Holy Spirit and he promises It forever! And although Jesus died for the sins of the world, not all of the world will receive this Great Helper. Only those who confess Him as LORD and Savior will receive this gift of blessing in the Great Helper to the fullest – for He does work on the entire world. However, Jesus points out that we know Him – this Helper – because He dwells in us and will remain with us – forever! 

Where did you and I receive this wonderful gift? In Holy Baptism.  There at the eight sided font representing the Resurrection of our LORD and our resurrection in and through the Word of God joined to the water – there we received life and salvation, faith and knowledge.  There we received the gift of the Great Helper, the very Spirit of the Father and the Son. And it is in this gift that we begin to live the life meant for us. 

No, not in perfection as it was intended from the beginning, nor as it will be for us in heaven someday – but nevertheless – for us saints who are yet still sinners, there in the simple waters of Baptism we are joined to the LORD in a special way. For in this gift we receive a part of our LORD – His Holy Spirit. And it is through this Great Helper that we are able to make the choices we once would have ignored. We begin to love God as was intended at the Creation. We begin to love neighbor as God has written on our hearts. Through this Great Helper we begin to live the life that was lived once in the Garden of Eden – but was lost.

In this promise of the Holy Spirit we are no longer orphaned, but truly we are found – found in the grace of our LORD above. And there is another promise. Jesus will come again. This we confess in our Creeds, that Christ will return one final time into this world, to judge it and to claim His own and take them to Himself in heaven. This is the reward of a life lived in faith – a gift for the Helper. This is what we can expect on the Last Day. This day will not be a day of sadness, at least not for us. This will be a day of great joy when we look into the eyes of our Savior for the first time. This is what it is all about, being with Him for eternity. This is the Crown of Life spoken of in Revelation by our LORD. There we will once again see what our first Father and Mother – Adam and Eve knew – the Tree of Life.

And all of this is made possible by the death of one innocent Man, the Son of God, on the cross for you and for me. And in His resurrection and through our resurrection in Holy Baptism we are granted this Great Helper – the Holy Spirit – to see us through to the end…which is really a beginning. What great joy this brings to God’s people, to know that we will not go it alone – but that Christ Jesus, through His Holy Spirit, will be with us every step of the way. May this bring a smile to your face this day and tears of joy to know that you are that precious to Him.  Amen.

The peace of the LORD which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus and His Holy Spirit.  Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Easter 5 [series A] - preached May 18, 2014 at St. Paul Lutheran Church Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Lutheran Church Centerville, IN

Sermon Text:      John 14:1-14

Title:          It’s All about Jesus

I.        When it’s not about Jesus everything is wrong!

II.       When it’s all about Jesus everything is right!
 

JESUS – THROUGH HIS CROSS – IS THE WAY TO HEAVEN – THE TRUTH OF SALVATION AND THE HOPE OF LIFE.

 

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

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for the homily this Sunday, is taken from the Gospel lesson just read. St. John writes…

“Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else believe on account of the works themselves.

12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

We all have our allegiances. Some of you may be Colts, Bengals or Bears fans. You may be UK, IU or Purdue fans. You may have voted for Obama or Romney. You may drive Chevy or Ford. And you may be creamy or chunky peanut butter fans. Me? I’m a Bears, Boilers, Chevy, creamy…no I will not tell you who I voted for – but if you’ve paid attention over the past 7 months then you know!

We love Mom, baseball and apple pie – or at least some derivative thereof. We love our brands don’t we? I eat Jif, I drink Diet Coke, I go to Burger King, and wear Ray Bans.

But – if there is only Skippy to eat, and only Diet Pepsi to drink, and only McDonald’s on this exit, and there are only generic sunglasses to wear – by golly I will eat, drink, stop and wear what’s handy, or cheap or available.

I am loyal – many of my family and friends would tell you that you couldn’t find a more loyal person. It’s what makes leaving St. Paul so hard. I am a lot of bad or not so nice things – but I am loyal.

And yet – given the opportunity – I will jump ship when it comes to the things we’ve already talked about. And if you’re honest with yourself you will admit you do too.

But there is one thing we must be rock solid on – our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.

We cannot be wishy-washy when it comes to our allegiance to GOD – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. No – there we must be rock solid. Jesus says in Revelation [3:16] that we can either be hot or cold when it comes to Him, but don’t be lukewarm. What happens if you are lukewarm water in the mouth of Christ? He will spit you out! Now I don’t know about you – but I’m thinking anything involving me and Jesus and Him spitting me out doesn’t sound good.

But aren’t we just that? One minute we are on fire for the LORD and the next we are as cold to the LORD as death. One minute we shine brightly the Light of Christ and the next we are as dim and dull as a coal that has lost its spark.

Truthfully? One minute we show our allegiance to the Good Shepherd, and the next we are off gallivanting after another shepherd – a shepherd of lies. No, I am not talking about the devil – I’m talking about you. For your greatest allegiance is given to yourself.

Christ says believe and you doubt. Christ says abide in me and I will abide in you, and you choose to abide in yourself. Christ says love one another, and you love yourself. I can go on and on down this list – but it’s unnecessary isn’t it?

Jesus says that He is the Truth – and you know the truth about yourself – don’t you? The truth is we love Me. We worship me.

When Jesus is not everything to us – He is nothing to us.

Jesus said He is the Way, but if He is nothing to us – then we have lost our Way. Jesus said He is the Truth, but if He is nothing to us – then there is no Truth. Jesus said that He is the Life – but if He is nothing to us – there is only death.

II.

However, there is hope. Jesus didn’t die on His Cross for the big sins only – but for all sins. And the sins we commit daily are the sins of self-absorption, self-importance, self-righteousness and self-centeredness.

That’s right – we are rescued not only from that unholy trinity of sin death and the devil – but also from ourselves! We can blame our lives and situations and shortcomings on a lot of things – and there is even a song or two that tells us we can blame it on the rain! But the truth of the matter is we have only to look in the mirror and see the culprit responsible for our predicament.

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is our way into heaven. He is the truth that sets us free. He is life and in Him we have it abundantly.

Jesus tells His disciples in our text today that He is GOD. He does so when He tells them that He and the Father are one. He says He is in the Father and the Father is in Him. He is shouting from the mountain tops that He is GOD! Not to brag – but to assure the disciples that He is the Chosen One – the Savior – the One Who forgives sin. They need to see in Him that He truly is the Way, the Truth and the Life. They need to believe this not only for themselves, but for the world that they will go into so that they can teach and preach and baptize!

These disciples will be the ones sent out to proclaim the news that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of GOD Who is in the world to save it from itself. And because we have faith – the gift of the Holy Spirit – then we have the Way to heaven, we have the Truth of salvation and we have hope of Life. Thanks be to GOD for the great love He has shown us in His Son Jesus Christ – our Savior from sin! Amen.

The Peace of the LORD – which surpasses all understanding – will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus the Light of the world.  Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Easter 4 [series A] - preached May 11, 2014 at St. Paul Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Centerville, IN

Sermon Text:      John 10:1-10

Title:           “How Can You Hear?”

I.  The voice of Jesus is heard most clearly in His Church.

II. When we aren’t in His Church we have difficulty hearing His voice.
 

THROUGH THE CROSS OF CHRIST WE ARE GIVEN EARS TO HEAR WITH - AND AS A RESPONSE TO THAT GRACE WE WANT TO BE IN CHURCH TO HEAR HIS VOICE MOST CLEARLY.

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

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for the homily for this 4^th Sunday of Easter, is taken from today’s Gospel lesson…

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. 2 But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice. 5 A stranger they will not follow, but they will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 This figure of speech Jesus used with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

7 So Jesus again said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

A man is out in the backyard assigned the task of cooking supper on the grill.  His attention is focused on the grill so that he does not burn the burgers – again. He hears a tap on the window of the kitchen, looks up and sees his daughter trying to tell her dad something. She is making hand singles that the dad isn’t comprehending and she is seemingly shouting but the dad can only hear muffled sounds through the glass. This goes on for a few minutes and then finally the dad goes inside and exasperatedly asks, “What do you want?” The daughter says, “Mom, wanted me to remind you to NOT burn the burgers again.” The dad furrows his brow and says, “That’s it?!” And then out of the corner of his eye he notices out the window that his burgers are on fire!

If it was so important why didn’t the daughter come outside and tell her dad what she wanted to tell him? Wasn’t there an urgency in the message?  Wouldn’t it make more sense for the daughter to go and tell the dad her message at the grill rather than trying to communicate with him through the glass? But now it is too late and the supper is ruined. 

St. John writes in our text today…

But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.

The Shepherd has come among the sheep of His flock and He calls out to them to come and they hear and follow His voice, for they know Him, they recognize His voice and they come.  But how do we know Him?

When I was growing up my younger brother and I would play out in the backyard and when it was supper time, or time to come in my Mom would come to the back door and tells us so. Then as we got a little older we would play out front [we lived on a deadend street]. And when it was time to come in Mom would yell out the front door, “Ray and Todd!” Then as we got a bit more older we began to venture out into the neighborhood on our bikes. And it was then that something changed. We had to keep track of time on our own. Our Mom could scream and yell our names until the cows came home – but we wouldn’t hear her. Why? Because we weren’t near her enough to hear her. Now we might hear another mom shouting for her kids to come home, but we wouldn’t listen to her because we didn’t know her, she wasn’t our Mom.

Isn’t the same true of you? Are you likely to follow a voice you don’t know? Many of you who gather here in this sanctuary each week would NOT follow the voice of another pastor. There is no trust there. You don’t know this voice. You may have even felt this way when I was first sent to you. Over time and through the hearing of my voice and through my speaking the truth as you now it through GOD’S Holy Word, you have begun to trust me – or at least I hope you have. You hear from me the truth of GOD’S Word, truly you hear the voice of the Good Shepherd – Jesus Christ in what I preach, teach and confess.  Because you know His voice and you can hear that voice in me, you continue to follow Him.  And that comes from being here in the pew each Sunday.

Then there those times when you think being here every Sunday, or at least very often is not necessary. And so you become this person named Skip. You skip Sundays, you skip Bible class, you skip reading the Bible, you skip praying, and the list goes on. What about Skip? Does he hear the voice of the Shepherd? Not as clearly. It’s like the dad trying to hear his daughter shouting through the window. It’s all muffled. The words she’s saying are not reaching the ears of the dad.

The same is true for you too. You who aren’t in the Word, who aren’t in church and Bible study and prayer. How can you hear when you aren’t in the same area code as the Shepherd? How can you hear when you are only hearing YOUR thoughts and words? For this is the voice that competes with the Shepherd’s voice – along with your spouse’s, your kids’, your best friend’s your co-workers’ – but in the end it’s all your voice doing all of the damage. 

I want to do this or that rather than go to church. I would rather watch TV than read His Holy Word. I need to be here or there rather than in Bible Study. I am too sleepy for prayer tonight. I don’t feel like fighting my children in order to get them to church and Sunday School. And as we speak these words out loud or think them in our minds we are drowning out the voice of the Shepherd.

There is one more voice in the background trying to overcome the Shepherd’s voice and this one does so with a whisper. This one is sickeningly sweet. It is the whisper of Satan, the shepherd of lies. Is he shouting? Not usually. His is a more subtle, devious, and deceitful word spoken in the ear of the faithful. He whispers things like, “did He really say…” and “surely a man can’t survive in a fish for three days…” and “surely a baby in the womb is NOT a life…” and “surely you can’t get to heaven merely by the death of this Jesus on the cross, surely you have to add something to that, like your own works…” and the list goes on and on. The devil has whispered his lies into the mouths of some TV evangelists, politicians, and even popular daytime talk show hosts. His whispers can be heard in the music we listen to, the movies we watch, the Facebook and twitter and Instagram that we cannot live without. He has even added his falsehoods to what we are told by some within our own beloved Missouri Synod.

And that whisper competes with, and oft times drowns out, the voice of Jesus – especially when we aren’t close enough to Him to hear His voice.

II.

How can you hear the voice of the Shepherd? When your ears are filled with so many voices, how can you hear? 

We look to the Cross and in this Cross and this one only, Jesus is recreating the ears of His people. He is making His voice heard above all the others. This is the wonderful gift that is embedded in the grain of the Cross of Christ, where His blood stained that wood a deep red. Here we find that Christ is making His voice loud and clear for all to hear. He is tuning our ears to His voice. 

But if we are not in the Word, if we are not in church, if we are not in prayer, how can we hear the voice of our Shepherd calling to us, leading us through the wilderness to the gates of THE Promised Land? Out there in the world there are so many voices competing with the voice of the Shepherd and we can choose to listen to those voices, shutting out the Shepherd. Here – in His house – the voice of the Shepherd is heard by His sheep. It is heard in the Word rightly preached, and the Sacraments rightly administered. It is heard for the forgiveness of sins. 

So it is here in His House of Prayer that we come to hear clearly the voice of the Shepherd – Jesus Christ. Here we are reminded He has forgiven us our sins – even the sin of tuning Him out. Here in His Church He begins again the same work each Sunday of fine tuning our ears so that we can hear Him.

How can you hear? By being close to the Good Shepherd – and there is no better place to be close to Jesus than right here. Amen.

The peace of the LORD which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +

Easter 3 [Series A] - preached May 4, 2014 at St. Paul Dewberry, IN and Resurrection Centerville, IN

 

Sermon Text:      Acts 2:14a, 36-41

Title:           “The Promise.”

I.        Without the promise one is lost to Christ.

II.       With the promise one is found by Christ.
 

THE PROMISE IS THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS WON FOR US BY CHRIST ON THE CROSS AND APPLIED TO US THROUGH THE WATERS OF HOLY BAPTISM.

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

Grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father, and from our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ.  Amen.

The text for the homily this Sunday, is taken from our first lesson – the book of Acts chapter two.. St. Luke writes…

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “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. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I.

What’s in a promise? A pledge or an oath to follow through on what one has said he or she will do. We make promises all the time don’t we? We promise to be faithful to our spouses. We promise to pay our house payment on time. We promise to uphold the laws of the land when we get a driver’s license. Doctors promise to do all that is in their power to care for people. Missouri Synod pastors promise to be faithful to the Holy Scriptures. 

What’s the problem with all of these promises? They are all broken promises. Husbands and wives cheat on each other, house payments are not paid on time, people speed in their cars, doctors perform abortions, and pastors interpret Scripture any which way they want. All of these promises are broken promises.  The speakers of each of these promises has failed to keep their word, their pledge, their oath. 

Such is the life of a sinner. Such is the life of you and me. We make promises all the day long and time after time we renege on those promises. Such is the life of every human being on the face of God’s green earth. I’ve noted all of political signs popping up lately. Is it really too surprising that whomever is elected to these various offices, that person will NOT keep all of their promises made?

And aren’t there times when we make promises we don’t intend to keep - fingers crossed behind our backs? Sure there are. Think back to when you were a kid. Wouldn’t we all at some time or another say anything to get out of trouble? Wouldn’t we promise to never do it again? And then wouldn’t we often times find ourselves doing that very thing once – AGAIN? The funny thing? We don’t outgrow it.

As sinners our promises always fall short. A few weeks ago on Palm Sunday young people spoke their confirmation vows – stood in front of the church and in front of God and promised to do certain things. All of you who have been confirmed in the church have promised the same things. Have you lived up to that promise? Have you done what you promised before God? Have you kept your word, your pledge, your oath? Or have you, like all others, let the LORD down? Have you gone the other way instead of the way of righteousness and truth, the way you promised?

That’s us in a nutshell. We are constantly saying we will do one thing and then doing another. For isn’t that really what our lives are – a great big promise to do the right thing? Aren’t we expected by God and others to follow through on what we say? Isn’t it a promise every time we commit to doing something? Isn’t it that simple? If we say we are going to pick up some milk at the store, or pick the kids up from school and we forget to do so, aren’t we in essence breaking our word, breaking a promise? If not, then why do we apologize when we forget to do something we said we would do? It’s because of the promise. And when it comes to promises – we can’t keep them.  We have failed. 

And in our failure to live up to the promises we make we are lost. We can’t live up to the promises we make to each other, and we can’t live up to the promises we make to GOD. We break our oath – daily. We sin against the commandments that GOD has laid down before us – to follow perfectly mind you.  We break the first table by sinning against God and we break the second table by sinning against neighbor – and God. This is the life we lead – saying one thing and doing another, promising this and that, and then breaking that promise. And in the process of being great oath breakers we are lost to our LORD.

II.

God on the other hand keeps His promises – perfectly.  He promised to never to destroy the world in a flood again and He’s kept that promise. He promised Abraham to make His descendants like the stars and He’s kept that promise. He promised to lead His people out of bondage and He parted a sea and kept that promise. He promised our parents, Adam and Eve, that He would provide a way out, a Savior, and in Jesus He’s kept that promise too.

In our text today we find St. Peter preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ and His victory over our sinful flesh, death and the devil. Upon hearing this sermon they turned to Peter and asked him what they should do.  St. Luke writes…

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

And Peter says to them…

“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.

He tells them to repent – to turn from their wicked ways. He says they should be baptized in the name of Jesus, for the forgiveness of their sins. 

And here today, Jesus is saying the same thing to me and all of you.  Repent. And for those who have not been baptized, they are to be washed in the flood of Holy Baptism. Be drowned in the waters at the font.  And be raised a new person in Christ – forgiven. And receive the promise which is the Holy Spirit. That’s right. In the waters of Baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for St. Luke writes…

For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Here God is keeping another promise. Jesus said he must ascend so that the Helper could descend and take care of us – and that Helper is none other than His Holy Spirit. This is the gift we receive from our heavenly Father in Holy Baptism – the gift of the Holy Spirit, the grace of the giving of faith, and the power of His Spirit in our lives to see us through, to help us along the way. 

We have left a vast trail of broken promises along the way of our lives, but GOD has kept each and every promise He has made. And there is one more promise. He has promised He will come again – and given His track record, you can bet He will keep that one too. Praise be to GOD that He is faithful and steadfast, that He keeps His promises.  Amen.

The peace of the LORD - which surpasses all understanding - will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our LORD the Great Promise Keeper.  Amen.

 

+ Soli Deo Gloria +