Christ Lutheran Church
Cleveland, Ohio
May 19, 2024
by: Rev. Dean Kavouras

Pentecost
Come Holy Ghost God And Lord

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Fifty days after the Jewish Passover festival, which coincided with the slaying of Christ our Passover Lamb, whose blood set us free to be people of God. Fifty days later we say, every Jew who could make it, no matter how far away he lived from Jerusalem, came to Jerusalem to celebrate the High Holy Day of Pentecost, which had a double focus.

First these pious people assembled to offer their thanks and praise to God for the ingathering of the early crops, which meant that there would be supper on the table for the foreseeable future; something we don’t think about often, and may we never have to.

But things were different then. There was no world-wide food production system in place, or division of labor, by which the heavenly Father keeps giving and giving. And even if prices are inflated, that’s not the fault of food producers, but the world’s monetary authorities.

Those first Pentecost worshiper rightly connected nourishment and the ability to continue living this precious life, with the love of their Lord. Their faith enabled them to see the source; and may we also. But there’s more because this harvest did not only include bread, but a harvest of long be-knighted souls longing for life-everlasting.

They found out the most amazing thing on Pentecost: that "man does not live by bread alone, but by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” – Jesus is that Word made Flesh among us – and if we rightly understand our religion we know that he is still among us in the flesh. But it is glorified and exalted flesh that can indwell Bread and Wine, attach itself to the hand raised in absolution and blessing, and embody the voice of those who proclaim the mighty Word that woke up the dead in Ezekiel’s vision.

The second thing pious Jews celebrated on Pentecost was God’s giving of the Law to Moses so that he might administer it to his people – graciously put it into their ears, their minds, their hearts and onto their lips. It is the very Word that we chant with united voice in Divine Liturgy.

But let us remember that “God's Law” is a great deal more than Legislation. If it were only that – divine legislation - it would the most precious knowledge on the face of the earth. Because in it God himself instructs us how to live at peace with him, with one another, and how to serve him, now and unto the ages of ages.

It seems that a great many people live futile lives pursuing food, shelter, clothing, toys, good times and bigger and bigger thrills – but without an eye towards eternity. This is not just other people, O Christians, but it is the tendency of our own sinful natures as well. One we must recognize, and struggle against it, and walk in the Law of the Lord, who is Christ, each day.

Wise people begin to plan for retirement the day they enter the work force – a half a century before they will ever need the funds to live on. But no one thinks about preparing for “the life of the world to come.”

But if we do the math we find that our earthly existence lasts perhaps 9 or 10 decades at best. Or for one recent newborn just 4 days, whose precious body the church committed to the ground, to the safe keeping of his heavenly Father, until the resurrection of all flesh.

Perhaps we should consider this life a dress rehearsal for the next. Either we follow the path of life, which is to follow Jesus, to be led by his Spirit; and continue the same into eternity. Or one can walk in the way of the ungodly, stand in the way with sinners, and sit in the seat of scoffers – whose future looks dimmer and dimmer each passing hour.

This is why on the first Pentecost there were vast crowds of people in Jerusalem for as far as the eye could see. Like Ezekiel’s dry bones, a “very, very great host.” But it was no trick of photography like the so-called “million mom and man marches.”

These people came from all over the world to commune with their God. To thank, praise, worship and glorify him because he has given us eternal life just like we heard in last week’s epistle:

“And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1 John 5:11-12)

At the start of that first Pentecost the crowds did not possess the golden message. They were certain that these 12 men, perched on the roof top, were intoxicated even if it was only 9 o’clock in the morning. Scorners will always find a reason to sneer.

But very soon they realized that what they thought was mumbo jumbo was in fact the voice of God’s Spirit inviting them to enjoy abundant life in Christ – and by a brilliant miracle done by the Spirit – each person heard the “Words of eternal Life,” in his own native language. A reversal as it were of the Tower of Babel.

Who were these people? They were pious Jews from around the world who came for the glorious feast of the Jubilee. They were Gentiles who by association with Jewish neighbors came to embrace the Jewish faith. Formerly they had been pagans who found their natural religions to be
hopeless, futile, dead and cruel; which rendered them the same.

But those who came on THIS PARTICULAR PENTECOST got more than they bargained for! Because God chose this Pentecost, 50 days after the Lord’s resurrection from the grave as the first page, of history's final chapter.

But first our Lord had to go away. Go to the Father by way of the cross or the Spirit could not come. He said the same to his disciples. He said:

“It is to your advantage that I go away,
because if I do not go away the Helper will not come to you.
But if I go I will send him to you."

How surpassingly great!!! must the Spirit be in our lives – to be a greater advantage to us than the Lord himself? Sadly we don’t have the time to even sketch out the Spirit’s work in a sermon. But suffice it to say that:

Without Pentecost. Without pouring out of the Holy Spirit all creation would return to the primordial darkness of Genesis 1:2

Without the Spirit to bring back an olive branch Noah and his family would never have left the ark.

Without the Spirit there would be no Moses, no David, no prophets, kings or priests – all of whom were anointed by the Holy Spirit as Types of the coming Christ.

Without the Spirit Jesus would not have been conceived in the Womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary; would not have been “made man.”

He would not have been baptized into his Office, or sent into the wilderness to conduct battle against Satan for us men and for our salvation.

Without the Holy Spirit none could ever confess that Jesus is Lord, to the glory of the Father and our own eternal blessing.

But with the Holy Spirit the face of the earth is renewed! Even in Ezekiel’s vision of very, very dry and very, very dead bones, come to life when they God breathes into the Breath of Life, which is his One and Only Spirit.

By the Holy Spirit we possess a faith that will not shrink. By Him we are empowered to do what is meet, right and salutary, to give thanks to the Lord our God at all times and in all places.

By him are able and desirous to celebrate His liturgy; by which we are purified from our sins, our fears and our diseases. And from addiction to the darkness of social media, and its ghoulish gaming that have reduced us to less than human.

Yes, only the Holy Spirit by means of this Word, this Sacrament, these Holy Rites and Rituals can restore us to our right minds, so that we might indeed share the mind of Christ. Amen.