FAITH AND FORGIVENESS

Transcript

1 !! FAITH AND FORGIVENESS The Feast of Pentecost (Year A) June 8, 2014 Lessons Acts 2:1-21 Psalm 104:24-34, 35b 1 st Corinthians 12:3b-13 St. John 20: Pastor David J. Risendal drisendal@stplc.org facebook Dave Risendal Twitter: drisendal Saint Peter Lutheran Church 9300 East Belleview Avenue Greenwood Village, CO voice: 303/ fax: 303/ facebook.com/stplc! God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as you sent upon the disciples the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, look upon your Church and open our hearts to the power of the Spirit. Kindle in us the fire of your love, and strengthen our lives for service in your kingdom; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. faith and forgiveness come, oh Holy Spirit, come bring strength to us all Sermon Prayer of the Day Christ is risen! [Response/ Christ is risen, indeed!] Christ is risen! [Response/ Christ is risen, indeed!] Christ is risen! [Response/ Christ is risen, indeed!] And, for my friend Tony: Χριστὸς ἀνέστη! [Ἀληθῶς ἀνέστη!] When I was growing up in small-town Minnesota, I was more than a little intimidated by Holy Spirit talk. There were those, in our community, who thought a lot and spoke a lot about the Holy Spirit. It was hard for me to identify with what they said, and the kinds of experiences they related. For them, the work of the Holy Spirit was phenomenal. It made extraordinary things happen. The Holy Spirit healed diseases and injuries that medical professionals weren t able to heal. The Holy Spirit caused hopeless addicts and alcoholics to suddenly become sober and well. The Holy Spirit restored relationships that seemed broken beyond repair. The Holy Spirit gifted them with everything from homes to jobs to parking spaces in crowded lots. Some forty years later, I don t find it helpful to doubt the authenticity of their experience. I suspect that many of these experiences, attributed to the work of the Holy!

2 The Feast of Pentecost Year A (June 8, 2014)! 2! Spirit, may well have been the work of the Holy Spirit. It certainly was they way they experienced it, and it seemed to strengthen their faith, and who can argue with that, right? I just have never personally experienced anything like this, so I couldn t really understand. And what s more, when they spoke about these experiences they left the impression that those of us who hadn t had similar experiences weren t truly Christian. I m not sure if this had to do with their certainty, or my insecurity, but that is the way I experienced it. For a while, I wondered whether all Christians should have these same experiences, and what it meant that I hadn t. So thinking about the Holy Spirit, for a long time, was difficult for me. I tended to shy away from anyone who seemed terribly sure about what the Spirit was up to. It was easier for me not to think about it at all. That all changed when I started reading the writings of Martin Luther. I mentioned this in my mid-week devotional this past week. He wrote volumes and volumes. Sermons. Letters. Treatises. Lecture notes. But one of his most helpful publications was the Small Catechism, written in We still use it as a guide for our Catechism studies. In it, he deals with the central teachings of the Christian tradition. In this catechism, Luther offers a description of the Holy Spirit. You ll find it on your Car Talk handout. He writes: The Third Article of the Creeds: on Becoming Holy! I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the community of the saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.! Q. What does this mean?! A. I believe that by my own reason or strength I cannot believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to him. But the Holy Spirit has called me through the Gospel, enlightened me with his gifts, and sanctified and preserved me in true faith, just as he calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth and preserves it in union with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. In this Christian church he daily and abundantly forgives all my sins, and the sins of all believers, and on the last day he will raise me and all the dead and will grant eternal life to me and to all who believe in Christ. This is most certainly true. Listen to how Luther defines the primary work of the Spirit: calling to us through the gospel, enlightening us with spiritual gifts, keeping us in true faith, and preserving the

3 The Feast of Pentecost Year A (June 8, 2014)! 3! unity Christ has with the church. It is through the Holy Spirit that God creates faith in us; it is through the Holy Spirit that God shapes faithfulness among us. Luther s description of the Holy Spirit was a game changer for me. I began to realize that the way my more spirited Christian friends thought about the Holy Spirit was not the way every Christian thought about the Holy Spirit. Luther s understanding made a lot of sense to me, and connected with my first-hand experience of God. You see, faith doesn t always come easy to me, either. There are times when I struggle with questions and doubts. And I am grateful for the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, which has helped me to stay faithful in those times when I have not been able to do it on my own. Creating faith in us; shaping faithfulness among us; these are helpful ways to think about how the Holy Spirit continues to be present in our lives today, as we celebrate this Feast of Pentecost. Of course it is one thing to be inspired by Luther s words because we identify with them. It is another thing to ask whether or not what he has written is in agreement with what the Bible teaches. In that regard, this weekend s two lessons are very helpful ones. Our first lesson is the account, from the Book of Acts, of the Day of Pentecost. St. Luke, who wrote Acts, tells us that Jesus dies on the day after the Jewish Feast called Passover. Fifty days later, the Jewish people are gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost. As our first lesson tells it, people are there from every imaginable country, speaking every imaginable language. The Holy Spirit comes upon the followers of Jesus as they gather in a secluded room. There is a great sound; St. Luke tells us it is like the rush of a violent wind. But that is not the miracle of the day. There are appearances of the Holy Spirit hovering above each of their heads; people think they look like tongues of fire. But that is not the miracle of the day. The miracle takes place when these followers of Jesus move out into the streets and are able to communicate with people who speak different languages than they do. The Holy Spirit moves through them, miraculously, to help some 3,000 people come to faith in Jesus, and ask to be baptized. The Holy Spirit: creating faith in us. Today s Gospel lesson is the account, from St. John, of the day when Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit into his disciples. It is the evening of the day when Jesus is raised from death. The disciples are gathered together, afraid the same thing that happened to Jesus might happen to them. All of a sudden Jesus is with them, sharing words of peace, and breathing Spirit into their broken hearts. And what does he do the instant after breathing the Spirit into them? He reminds them of their central duty: to be agents of God s forgiveness for one another. I can t help but believe this is what Jesus has in mind when he thinks of the Holy Spirit. Forgiveness can be difficult, but with the help of the Spirit, God makes it happen among us. The Holy Spirit: shaping faithfulness among us No assurance here, in Acts or John, of magical cures for everything that ails us. No assurance here, in Acts or John, that supernatural signs will accompany every believer. But arguably, something even more powerful: through the Holy Spirit, God takes hold of our resistant hearts, and helps us to believe. Through the Holy Spirit, God takes hold of our disobedient wills, and helps us to forgive. Creating faith in us; shaping faithfulness among us; this is the primary work of the Holy Spirit. And this is the touch from God s hand that has us singing, with believers throughout the centuries, Come, oh Holy Spirit Come. On this Feast of Pentecost, we pray that the Holy Spirit might come to us, empowering our faith and faithfulness. Amen. David J. Risendal, Pastor

4 The Feast of Pentecost Year A (June 8, 2014)! 4! Gospel Lesson; English Text When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, Peace be with you. 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you. 22 When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained. 2 Gospel Lesson; Greek Text: Οὔσης οὐ ν ὀψίας τῃ ἡµέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ τῃ µιᾳ σαββάτων καὶ τω ν θυρω ν κεκλεισµένων ὅπου ἠ σαν οἱ µαθηταὶ διὰ τὸν φόβον τω ν Ἰουδαίων, ἠ λθεν ὁ Ἰησου ς καὶ ἔστη εἰς τὸ µέσον καὶ λέγει αὐτοι ς εἰρήνη ὑµι ν. 20 καὶ του το εἰπὼν ἔδειξεν τὰς χει ρας καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν αὐτοι ς. ἐχάρησαν οὐ ν οἱ µαθηταὶ ἰδόντες τὸν κύριον. 21 εἰ πεν οὐ ν αὐτοι ς [ὁ Ἰησου ς] πάλιν εἰρήνη ὑµι ν καθὼς ἀπέσταλκεν µε ὁ πατήρ, καγὼ πέµπω ὑµα ς. 22 καὶ του το εἰπὼν ἐνεφύσησεν καὶ λέγει αὐτοι ς λάβετε πνευ µα ἅγιον 23 ἄν τινων ἀφη τε τὰς ἁµαρτίας ἀφέωνται αὐτοι ς, ἄν τινων κρατη τε κεκράτηνται. 3 First Lesson; English Text: 2.1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. 5 Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. 6 And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. 7 Amazed and astonished, they asked, Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? 9 Parthians, Medes, 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, both Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretans and Arabs in our own languages we hear them speaking about God s deeds of power. 12 All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What does this mean? 13 But others sneered and said, They are filled with new wine. 14 But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. 15 Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o clock in the morning. 16 No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel: 17 In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon 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 upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. 19 And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. 20 The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord s great and glorious day. 21 Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved A list of Bible lessons for the coming weeks is available at St. John 20: 19-23, New Revised Standard Version Bible ( 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America). St. John 20: 19-23, The Greek New Testament, Aland, Kurt, Black, Matthew, Martini, Carlo M., Metzger, Bruce M., and Wikgren, Allen, ( 1983, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft Stuttgart). Acts 2:1-21, New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit.

5 The Feast of Pentecost Year A (June 8, 2014)! 5! First Lesson; Greek Text: 2:1 Καὶ ἐν τῳ συµπληρου σθαι τὴν ἡµέραν τη ς πεντηκοστη ς ἠ σαν πάντες ὁµου ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτό. 2 καὶ ἐγένετο ἄφνω ἐκ του οὐρανου ἠ χος ὥσπερ φεροµένης πνοη ς βιαίας καὶ ἐπλήρωσεν ὅλον τὸν οἰ κον οὑ ἠ σαν καθήµενοι 3 καὶ ὤφθησαν αὐτοι ς διαµεριζόµεναι γλω σσαι ὡσεὶ πυρὸς καὶ ἐκάθισεν ἐφ ἕνα ἕκαστον αὐτω ν, 4 καὶ ἐπλήσθησαν πάντες πνεύµατος ἁγίου καὶ ἤρξαντο λαλει ν ἑτέραις γλώσσαις καθὼς τὸ πνευ µα ἐδίδου ἀποφθέγγεσθαι αὐτοι ς. 5 Η σαν δὲ εἰς Ἰερουσαλὴµ κατοικου ντες Ἰουδαι οι, ἄνδρες εὐλαβει ς ἀπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους τω ν ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν. 6 γενοµένης δὲ τη ς φωνη ς ταύτης συνη λθεν τὸ πλη θος καὶ συνεχύθη, ὅτι ἤκουον εἱ ς ἕκαστος τῃ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ λαλούντων αὐτω ν. 7 ἐξίσταντο δὲ καὶ ἐθαύµαζον λέγοντες οὐχ ἰδοὺ ἅπαντες οὑ τοι εἰσιν οἱ λαλου ντες Γαλιλαι οι; 8 καὶ πω ς ἡµει ς ἀκούοµεν ἕκαστος τῃ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ ἡµω ν ἐν ᾑ ἐγεννήθηµεν; 9 Πάρθοι καὶ Μη δοι καὶ Ἐλαµι ται καὶ οἱ κατοικου ντες τὴν Μεσοποταµίαν, Ἰουδαίαν τε καὶ Καππαδοκίαν, Πόντον καὶ τὴν Ἀσίαν, 10 Φρυγίαν τε καὶ Παµφυλίαν, Αἴγυπτον καὶ τὰ µέρη τη ς Λιβύης τη ς κατὰ Κυρήνην, καὶ οἱ ἐπιδηµου ντες Ῥωµαι οι, 11 Ἰουδαι οι τε καὶ προσήλυτοι, Κρη τες καὶ Ά ραβες, ἀκούοµεν λαλούντων αὐτω ν ται ς ἡµετέραις γλώσσαις τὰ µεγαλει α του θεου. 12 ἐξίσταντο δὲ πάντες καὶ διηπόρουν, ἄλλος πρὸς ἄλλον λέγοντες τί θέλει του το εἰ ναι; 13 ἕτεροι δὲ διαχλευάζοντες ἔλεγον ὅτι γλεύκους µεµεστωµένοι εἰσίν. 14 Σταθεὶς δὲ ὁ Πέτρος σὺν τοι ς ἕνδεκα ἐπη ρεν τὴν φωνὴν αὐτου καὶ ἀπεφθέγξατο αὐτοι ς, ἄνδρες Ἰουδαι οι καὶ οἱ κατοικου ντες Ἰερουσαλὴµ πάντες, του το ὑµι ν γνωστὸν ἔστω καὶ ἐνωτίσασθε τὰ ῥήµατα µου. 15 οὐ γὰρ ὡς ὑµει ς ὑπολαµβάνετε οὑ τοι µεθύουσιν, ἔστιν γὰρ ὥρα τρίτη τη ς ἡµέρας, 16 ἀλλὰ του το ἐστιν τὸ εἰρηµένον διὰ του προφήτου Ἰωήλ 17 καὶ ἔσται ἐν ται ς ἐσχάταις ἡµέραις, λέγει ὁ θεός, ἐκχεω ἀπὸ του πνεύµατος µου ἐπὶ πα σαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑµω ν καὶ αἱθυγατέρες ὑµω ν καὶ οἱ νεανίσκοι ὑµω ν ὁράσεις ὄψονται καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ὑµω ν ἐνυπνίοις ἐνυπνιασθήσονται 18 καί γε ἐπὶ τοὺς δούλους µου καὶ ἐπὶ τὰς δούλας µου ἐν ται ς ἡµέραις ἐκείναις ἐκχεω ἀπὸ του πνεύµατος µου, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν. 19 καὶ δώσω τέρατα ἐν τῳ οὐρανῳ ἄνω καὶ σηµει α ἐπὶ τη ς γη ς κάτω, αἱ µα καὶ πυ ρ καὶ ἀτµίδα καπνου. 20 ὁ ἥλιος µεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἱ µα,πρὶν ἐλθει ν ἡµέραν κυρίου τὴν µεγάληνκαὶ ἐπιφανη. 21 καὶ ἔσται πα ς ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸὄνοµα κυρίου σωθήσεται. 5 Second Lesson; English Text: no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body Jews or Greeks, slaves or free and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 6 Second Lesson; Greek Text: 16:1 οὐδεὶς δύναται εἰπεῖν Κύριος Ἰησοῦς, εἰ µὴ ἐν πνεύµατι ἁγίῳ. 4 Διαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισµάτων εἰσίν, τὸ δὲ αὐτὸ πνεῦµα 5 καὶ διαιρέσεις διακονιῶν εἰσιν, καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς κύριος 6 καὶ διαιρέσεις ἐνεργηµάτων εἰσίν, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς θεὸς ὁ ἐνεργῶν τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. 7 ἑκάστῳ δὲ δίδοται ἡ φανέρωσις τοῦ πνεύµατος πρὸς τὸ συµφέρον. 8 ᾧ µὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ πνεύµατος δίδοται λόγος σοφίας, ἄλλῳ δὲ λόγος γνώσεως κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦµα, 9 ἑτέρῳ πίστις ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ πνεύµατι, 5 6 Acts 2:1-21, The Greek New Testament, opp. cit. 1 st Corinthians 12:3b-13, New Revised Standard Version Bible, opp. cit.

6 The Feast of Pentecost Year A (June 8, 2014)! 6! ἄλλῳ δὲ χαρίσµατα ἰαµάτων ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ πνεύµατι, 10 ἄλλῳ δὲ ἐνεργήµατα δυνάµεων, ἄλλῳ [δὲ] προφητεία, ἄλλῳ [δὲ] διακρίσεις πνευµάτων, ἑτέρῳ γένη γλωσσῶν, ἄλλῳ δὲ ἑρµηνεία γλωσσῶν 11 πάντα δὲ ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ τὸ ἓν καὶ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦµα διαιροῦν ἰδίᾳ ἑκάστῳ καθὼς βούλεται. 12 Καθάπερ γὰρ τὸ σῶµα ἕν ἐστιν καὶ µέλη πολλὰ ἔχει, πάντα δὲ τὰ µέλη τοῦ σώµατος πολλὰ ὄντα ἕν ἐστιν σῶµα, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστός 13 καὶ γὰρ ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύµατι ἡµεῖς πάντες εἰς ἓν σῶµα ἐβαπτίσθηµεν, εἴτε Ἰουδαῖοι εἴτε Ἕλληνες εἴτε δοῦλοι εἴτε ἐλεύθεροι, καὶ πάντες ἓν πνεῦµα ἐποτίσθηµεν st Corinthians 12:3b-13, The Greek New Testament, opp. cit.