Being astonished at the Christian life, marveling at the Christian story is our theme for today, on this day of Pentecost.
When the Spirit descended and there came a sound like a mighty rushing wind and divided tongues as of fire [rested on each of the disciples, 120 of them, all together in one place and through their mouth] Jews from all around the world, every region, every nation, every language, started to hear in their own language, the mighty works of God.
Some marveled, some were amazed, while others said the disciples were drunk.
But Peter stands, says, “no one’s drunk, it’s only about 9 a.m.,”
No, this is the fulfillment of Joel 2, and this is the text that I want to find a special astonishment in today, when Peter preaches the first Christian sermon and
17“‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams;
18even on my male servants and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.”
May this Word, as Jesus says, make it’s home with us through the Spirit today
May this Spirit, as Jesus says, bring to remembrance all He said to us so that we might have His peace, peace not as the world gives, but only as He gives.
So that, as Jesus says, your hearts are not troubled, neither are they afraid.
Young children help us see miracles we might have otherwise missed.
They have a life in them that is astonished by thing we might otherwise have grown used.
“Again, again, again,” as things as simple as peek a-boo.
This past week at the beach, every time we brough the 3 older kids out of the ocean, they wanted to know when they could back in the ocean again.
And every time, we brought our two youngers away from digging in the sand, they wanted to now when they could dig in the sand again.
Today, again and again and again, our Lord helps us see the miracle that is the Christian faith. You’re Christian life – what you know and believe and what you do and especially what God is doing – His constant mighty works.
This text from Joel that Peter preaches on on the first Pentecost after the death and resurrection and ascension of the Son of God,
this one that preaches on how God will pour His Spirit on all flesh, sons, daughters, young men, old men, male servants, female servants, that they will prophesy, see vision, dream dreams, is really something that helps us marvel at our Christian faith and life.
In the Old Testaments, the Lord set aside special people to be prophets. Certain individuals to speak God’s Word and especially to remind God’s people to look forward again to God keeping His promise to send the Messiah, the Christ.
To these prophets He would give visions and dreams, and then they would proclaim to God’s people, write them down, distribute these promises.
He will give the special gift of pouring out on them the Holy Spirit, like Moses, Samson, Isaiah, David – they were unique and they all gave God’s people little tastes, little pieces of the puzzle of what it would be like when God would send His Son – and Joel adds, when God would pour out His Spirit.
And on this Day of Pentecost, Peter sees this fulfillment, that it would not be a special gift for certain people, it would be all people, all flesh – God says I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh.
It would not be a particular office of someone called a prophet, all the sons and daughters would prophesy.
It would not be a particular group that would proclaim these mysteries, your young men shall see visions, and your old me shall dream dreams, even of your male servants and female servants in those days He will pour out His Spirit and they shall prophesy.
Now, here’s how I think that we can understand this for us. That the mysteries, and they were mysteries for thousands of years, the mysteries of what exactly the Messiah would be like and do and act like are now revealed God’s people of the New Testament, even to us.
St. Peter in his Epistles says that you now know things that angels had longed to looked about God’s grace and salvation and the suffering of Christ and His glories (1 Peter 1:10-12).
I think the picture is this: that the people of the Old Testament would hear our children say the Creed or sing the liturgy or sing our Christian hymns and they would marvel and be astonished and say “again, again, again!”
Isaiah would listen to us say, “I believe in Jesus Christ,” and he would say, “O! His name is Jesus! I always wondered. O, that’s marvelous. That’s wonderful. Say it again. Jesus, Yeshua, the Lord saves. That makes some much sense.”
I always wondered about His name would be.
And we’d say that “Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary,” and he’d say, “Mary! That’s the Virgin’s name. I knew he’d be born of a virgin, but I didn’t know who it would be. Mary, O how wonderful.”
Prophets of Old had these little pieces of the puzzle,
The Christ would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2)
That He would be forsaken by God (Psalm 22),
Pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities, upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53).
They saw all these little pieces of the puzzle.
That He would rise again.
I know my Redeemer lives (Job 19)
That He would pour out His Spirit on all flesh (Joel 2),
But they only had these pieces, they trusted in those pieces of promises, they clung to those pieces of promises, they were saved by those pieces of promise, by the Holy Spirit, they believed.
But you and I and all of the people of the Last Days don’t just get the pieces, we get the puzzle.
We know the full picture of Jesus and His birth and teachings and life and death and resurrection.
We’ve been baptized into the Father, Son and Holy Spirit – the fullest revelation of the name of God.
We, you and I, and our sons and daughters and our old men and young men and old women and young women, we know the Creed, the rule of faith, the mystery of God’s salvation and love for the whole world.
When we come together and to confess the Creed and sing the liturgy and proclaim and praise the name of Jesus for our life and peace and salvation,
We should leave saying, “again, again, again.”
O little town of Bethlehem – again, again.
Let the clean inscription be, Jesus crucified for me – again, again.
Because He lives, I can face tomorrow – again, again.
Because this is astonishing and wonderful.
Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.
I am saved. I call upon His name.
The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
You receive the Holy Spirit, He teaches you all things, helping you remember the life and love and death and promises of Jesus Christ.
The Spirit again is given to us to marvel at the whole picture of our salvation and God keep in this fuller, peace filled life on the inside.
Not as the world gives, does He give peace.
Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
We really do need to receive the Spirit and Christ’s peace again and again, because this life is often wearying and difficult.
Things are not what they appear or often how you feel.
So, when can we be renewed by Christ with His peace again?
When can He make a home within us again?
When He can help us marvel at His work and at the life faith and works He has given us again?
He is again on this day what He has done for us and countless Christians every day. God help us marvel at it.