“THE BREATH OF LIFE”
Acts 2: 1-13
The Feast of Pentecost: 31 May Anno Domini 2020
Fr Jay Watson, SSP
You are Pentecostals. How can you not be? Your Church, the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church of the Gentiles was “born” on this day over 2,000 years ago.
“[We] believe that [we] cannot by our own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, [our] Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called [us] by the Gospel, enlightened [us] with His gifts, sanctified and kept [us] in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith in which Christian Church He daily and richly forgives all sins to [us] and all believers, and will at the Last Day raise up [us] and all the dead, and give unto [us] and all believers in Christ eternal life. This is most certainly true.” [SC III.3]
So, you see, to be Pentecostal, as Jesus has made you, is to be given your new faith, new life, new holiness by God the Holy Ghost in accordance with Scripture—the Words of The Word made flesh. It has nothing to do with speaking in nonsensical gibberish, dancing around on a stage, waving arms, fake-healing fake psycho-somatic “diseases,” and spewing forth nonsense about power, glory, health, and wealth. Even as the Western Church of The Augsburg Confession (i.e. Scripture as given and properly explicated by the tradition of our Fathers in the faith over centuries) is the true Catholic Church, so too are its parishes the true Pentecostal Church. And by the way, Calvin, Zwingli, Finney, Wesley, Arminius, are also wrong. The Reforming Church of Wittenberg in all the world is also the true Evangelical Church.
You do not fixate over the historical reality of that incredible and miraculous day. You rather sing with joy your thanks to God and treasure your gift-given faith in the mercy and forgiveness of The Lord—The Gospel—The Good News of Christ Crucified and Risen for your life and salvation.
The Blessed Holy Virgin, Mother of God, was there. She is here right now. The Blessed Holy Fisher of Men, Saint Peter—Prince of The Apostles, was there (PREACHING). He is here right now. The Blessed Holy Saint Matthew, former Publican and writer of the First Evangel, was there. He is here right now. The Blessed Holy Apostles, Saints Andrew and James, our Lord’s FIRST TWO DISCIPLES, were there. They are here now. The Church triumphant and militant is One! Yes, the Holy Ghost can come whenever and wherever He chooses to, by, in, with, the Word of God, to be sure. And the Scripture account of Saint Philip, Pastor and Deacon, preaching the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God, from the pen of Saint Esaias to the Ethiopian eunuch clearly demonstrates that. For do you not believe, teach, and confess Article V of the Augustana: “…the Holy Ghost is given, Who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear The Gospel…” You do! But you also know that that passage is far more than some parceled out, minimalistic, solo, works righteous, “me and my Gideon Bible” sectarianism. You know that Article V is the explanation of John chapter 20—Christ’s appearance to the “11” in the upper room on Easter evening. It is the institution of the Holy Office of God’s New Testament Ministry. It is what ties together the sending of The Holy Ghost, Jesus’ actual presence, and the Church of all Christians together. The Word of Forgiveness and Atonement, The Sacramental Word of same, are administered, until Jesus returns, by His called and ordained. That is the true Pentecost Miracle. That is the sign of the real Church. And that is WHY, that in the Augsburg Confession, right AFTER, Article IV on Justification by Grace through faith, not of works, is a man saved, Article V actually begins by taking God’s Salvation for you and showing you how it is Pentecosted to you, no less, than how it was done to the crowd in Jerusalem by Saint Peter and the others. “That you may obtain THIS Faith, The Ministry of teaching The Gospel and administering The Sacraments was instituted. For through The Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given…”
Why are you making this sermon about pastors again, your “old Adam” might whine—preferring of course that the homily would be about you. Why? That crowd in Jerusalem did not begin to believe that Jesus was God and their Lord and Savior UNTIL Saint Peter and the others preached the Word of God—Law and Gospel. Period. The ministry is never about the ministry it is always about The Word of The Lord—always about Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
A mighty rushing wind? The wind, breath, words speaking Jesus, rushing straight into your ears: repent, believe, hold your Christ in your new Spirit and taste Him in His Supper. “Cloven tongues like as of fire” over the heads of the “12?” Your heads indelibly marked by The Spirit with the Sign of The God/Man—The Cross—also blood red. The heads of every pastor touched by the hands of the Presbytery—the pastors present at his ordination. The local pastor beginning the rite of the Sacrament every Lord’s day: “The Lord be with you” to which the parishioners respond: “and with thy spirit,” i.e. with the gift Jesus has given the pastor by The Holy Ghost in his ordination and in his specific calling to an altar!
“We do hear them speak in our tongues?” Yes, that was a bonafide supernatural miracle. But the early Apostolic signs, be they knowledge of unlearned foreign languages, mystical winds from seeming nowhere, flaming apparitions on the noggin, were all simply sign-posts that God was with His men, the exact same way that He promised He would be with them, then, and now, and forever. It isn’t about the signs, it’s about the preaching of The Word, the delivery of the Good News. You want, desire, and truly need new wine, for the old, the spoiled, rancid, soured, Adamic past is but death and damnation. Receive the New Wine of the Word: “men and women of Augsburg, your sins are forgiven you for Christ’s sake.” Receive the New Wine of Jesus’ New Testament in His Body and Blood: “men and women of Augsburg, your sins are forgiven.”
This here, now, is Pentecost, is Jesus.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of The Holy Ghost
Email the webmaster.Contact Augsburg Lutheran Church: (913) 403-6194