Your Personal Pentecost

This is a portion of the message that I proclaimed on Pentecost 2012.

 If you look for another Pentecost through a rushing wind, visible tongues of fire and the ability of speaking languages you never studied, you will wait a long time.  The crowd on Pentecost that was cut to the quick cried out to the apostles as to what they should do.  The response was clear.  Repent and be baptized, everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  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 (Acts 2:38-39).  About three thousand souls were added to the church through the water the word of Baptism on Pentecost.

Fire, wind, water and the Word were part of Pentecost.  The wind accompanied the tongues of fire on the apostles.  Peter preached boldly by the Spirit’s power that led the crowd into all truth.  The Spirit convicted the crowd of sin because they did not believe in Jesus. Of righteousness because God the Father raised Jesus from the dead and exalted Him to His right hand.  Of judgment because the devil is judged and under judgment.  The apostles directed the repentant hearers to the water of Baptism.  The baptized receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This promise is for young and old, for children and everyone whom the Lord calls to Himself.

Holy Baptism is your personal Pentecost.  It is the working of the Holy Trinity.  The baptized are joined to Jesus in His death and resurrection.  It is as if the baptized was transported in time to Golgotha and died on the cross with Jesus.  Instantaneously they are with Jesus alive and resurrected Easter morning, clothed in His righteousness.  The baptized are sons of God because the Holy Trinity has adopted them into the family.  They are set among believers in the church.  It is at the font where believers are united into the one Lord, one faith, one baptism.

We can say these things because the Holy Spirit, indeed, the blessed Trinity is at work in baptism bringing the spiritually dead back to life.  The New Testament abounds in this baptismal language where God is the Giver and you are the receiver.  As many of you who have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ (Galatians 3:27).  So those who received His word were baptized (Acts 2:41).  He saved us, not because of righteous things we have done but by the washing of rebirth and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom God poured out richly upon us through Jesus Christ (Titus 3:5). Baptism now saves you (1 Peter 3:20).  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has caused you to be born from above through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3).  We have witnessed such a miracle this morning.  Luke, welcome to the Lord’s family through the gift of Holy Baptism.  The righteousness that is now yours in Christ is designed for a lifetime, literally an eternity. It expands and grows with you and is very resilient.  In heaven this righteousness will be your crown.  May you grow in your understanding and appreciation of this gift all of your days.