Parallels, Parables and Planting Seeds

The word parallel comes from two Greek words: para meaning beside and allelois meaning each other. By definition, parallel means extending in the same direction, equidistant at all points, and never converging or diverging. Most of us know that lines in a plane which do not intersect or touch each other at any point are said to be parallel. Parallel may also refer to computing, mathematics, science, navigation, music, entertainment, grammar, rhetoric or gymnastics.

Gospel parallels place similar passages from different evangelists alongside each other for easy comparison. This is an important tool for anyone who wants to better understand the gospels. How did different writers tell the same stories in the first generations of the Church? Why are they different?

The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke, contain much of the same material. Matthew and Luke tell nearly all of the stories told in Mark and share several stories that are not in Mark. In addition, all three books are written as if the authors personally observed all of the events and were reporting what they saw at the time.

The Gospel of John purposefully omitted much of the material found in the synoptic gospels and added a considerable amount of material not found in them. It appears that John wrote his gospel as a supplement to the other three. So, when you place the four side-by-side, you see striking similarities and subtle differences.[1]

All three synoptic gospels recorded that Jesus compared the mustard seed to the Kingdom. Matthew used the phrase Kingdom of heaven, while Mark and Luke employed the phrase Kingdom of God. The seed was sown. Matthew wrote that a man sowed it on the field. Mark wrote that the seed was sowed upon the ground, while Luke said that a man sowed it in his garden.

Matthew’s Jesus stated that the seed is the smallest of all seeds, while Mark’s Jesus added that it is the smallest of all seeds on the earth, and Luke’s Jesus is silent on its size. Matthew’s seed has grown; Mark’s grows up and puts forth large branches; and Luke’s grew. Matthew described its maturity as the greatest of shrubs and becomes a tree; Mark as the greatest of all shrubs; and Luke as a tree.

All three mention the birds of the air, while Matthew concluded that they come and make nests in its branches; Mark that they can make nests in its shade; and Luke that they made nests in its branches.

Why painstakingly point out striking similarities and subtle differences in 2 or 3 verses of Scripture? To compare literary styles suited for their particular audiences and to emphasize certain theological statements.

Immediately, we notice the different places where the seed is planted and what happens when it flourishes: field, ground and garden. Nestmaking occurred in the present and in the past. Why note these subtle differences? Well, if I’m in Rochelle, IL, I would plant seeds in a field, but if I’m in Roselle, IL, a garden. If I’m writing my gospel in 70 AD, I would write about the present, but if I’m writing my gospel in 85 AD, time has passed, and that would alter my writing. By the time Luke wrote his gospel, around 85 AD, the church had grown and flourished. So, when we read the gospel parallels, we need to keep in mind the time, setting and audience of its hearers and readers because while the church is universal, it is not always uniform.

So, what made Mark different? What was he saying? What was his theological point? We could spend hours discussing his literary style, apocalyptic symbolism and irony, but let me leave you with this. Mark was the first to write a biography of Jesus that linked his ministry to his Passion. He invited readers to understand that Jesus’ words and deeds were inextricably linked to that finale, and that was what awaited his followers. In other words, Mark connected Christology to discipleship. I will return to that thought, but for now let me move to my second point, parables.

What is a parable? Simply defined, a parable is a short story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson. It comes to us from the Latin, parabola, and the Greek, parabole, which literally meant ‘a throwing beside.’ Its origin is from the term para, again, meaning alongside, and bole, throwing or casting, or a beam or ray.

The geometrically gifted understand that a parabolic curve refers to a comparison between fixed points and a straight line. The St. Louis Arch and your satellite dish are parabolic curves. Jesus, however, did not teach math or build arches. Rather, he compared real life situations to teach a lesson about God.

Parables were part of Jewish tradition. The Hebrew term for a parable was mashal. We find mashal in the allegories, proverbs, riddles and taunts of Judges, Samuel, Proverbs and Prophets. We are familiar with Nathan’s powerful story to David of the rich man who stole and slaughtered the poor man’s prized lamb. It transformed David to a humble, contrite sinner. So, we see that Jesus did not invent parables, but like his ancestors, used them to win people over to his views.

Jesus spoke parables to proclaim the gracious advent, disturbing presence and challenging implications of the Kingdom of God. At times, he opened with, “The kingdom of heaven is like…” or, “To what shall I compare?” Although he ends his teaching abruptly, Jesus often concluded with a challenging question. “Which of these three … proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” Or, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

While Jesus did not pressure listeners to choose any one direction, he confronted them with the necessity to make a choice that determined their future. No doubt, his listeners who viewed matters one way now discovered a better way. Discovering a better way resulted in conversion, reconciliation and changed behavior. Once they experienced conversion and reconciliation, his followers transformed society and changed the world.

The Parable of the Mustard Seeds opens with Jesus thinking aloud, searching for ways to help his listeners grasp the mystery of the kingdom. It cannot be defined or contained in human categories but understood only by using word pictures that force the listener to think and ponder at a deeper level. Once again, the earthly reality most suitable is a tiny seed. In this seed parable, the emphasis is on the seed’s smallness. For Jesus’ Jewish audience, the idea of the kingdom as a seed must have seemed surprising. A more predictable comparison would have been a cataclysmic earthquake or a mighty army. Isaiah prophesized, “You will be visited by the LORD of hosts with thunder and with earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and tempest, and the flame of a devouring fire.”[2] Elsewhere he proclaimed, “The sound of a tumult is on the mountains as of a great multitude! The sound of an uproar of kingdoms, of nations gathering together! The LORD of hosts is mustering a host for battle.”[3] Joel echoed those words, “The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?”[4] But no, the kingdom is like a mustard seed, which Jesus describes for effect as the smallest of all the seeds on the earth which springs up and becomes – again, for effect – the largest of plants.

In mentioning large branches that shelter many birds, Jesus evoked the image of a lofty, shady tree, symbolizing an empire that grants protection to peoples of different races and tongues.

The Prophet Daniel interpreted the dream of Nebuchadnezzar as a tree that “grew and became strong, and its top reached to heaven, and it was visible to the end of the whole earth. Its leaves were beautiful and its fruit abundant, and in it was food for all. The beasts of the field found shade under it, and the birds of the heavens lived in its branches, and all flesh was fed from it.”[5]

In Ezekiel, we read, “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar and will set it out. I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it on a high and lofty mountain. On the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bear branches and produce fruit and become a noble cedar. And under it will dwell every kind of bird; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest.’”[6]

The parable of the mustard seed pointed to the future worldwide reach of the kingdom of God. From its humble, inauspicious beginnings in Jesus’ itinerant preaching in Galilee with a small band of followers, the kingdom would mature to an immense tree in whom Gentiles would find a home. This growth was not due to human methods but to God’s hidden power. Jesus spoke with utter assurance of the future success of the kingdom, urging his disciples to persevere with hope and patience.[7]

Now, let me return to Mark connecting Christology to discipleship. Last week I made the point of illustrating Mark’s sandwich technique: how he wrapped stories together by layering one passage between two parallel passages. I said that the entire Gospel of Mark is one massive sandwich with 8:29 as the real meat: And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” Then after he rebuked Peter, Jesus called the crowd and the disciples to him and said, “’If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?’”[8]

I revisit that passage to make a point about Mark. He was the first writer to connect the narrative of what Jesus said and did to what God accomplished in the Christ’s death and resurrection and call it good news or Gospel. He linked the two inextricably because he wanted his readers to understand Jesus’ words and deeds not as independent modes of revelation, but as one interdependent mode of revelation. To identify Jesus as the Christ and to understand his life through the prism of the cross was the first point Mark was making. The second was to understand who you are in relation to Jesus Christ. In short, just as Mark linked inextricably Jesus’ words and deeds to his death and resurrection, he challenged his readers to see themselves as linked to Christ.

And so, I ask you, do you identify yourself as a Christian, one who not only follows his teaching, but one who embraces the cross as he did? What choice will you make today that will determine your future? Since you heard Jesus’ words and deeds, have you determined that his way of life is better than yours? …

Finally, planting seeds. We are all familiar with planting seeds. Whether we farm the land or garden a plot, we know that seeds sprout and mature into plants that bear fruit. As I reflect upon this parable, I wrestle with the activity of planting seeds and the quiet contemplation of marveling at God’s power. Should I be actively engaging people through evangelization? Should I join a megachurch where Christian fellowship is alive? Distribute Bibles on the corner or in some other corner of the world, like China? Wear jewelry and clothing that advertises my beliefs? Share sermons on social media?

Should I marvel at how the Kingdom of God blossoms in spite of our efforts to thwart it? Should I spend more time reading and reflecting on Biblical passages? Should I study and journal? Download podcasts onto my smartphone and listen to them as I walk or drive? Set aside time for quiet meditation and contemplation?

Personally, I am more of an active contemplative. I spend time each morning reading Scripture, sacred writings and Biblical theology, and the rest of the day interviewing people, writing reports and driving the western suburbs. Interspersed throughout the day I eat, exercise, walk the dogs and, more importantly, spend time with my wife. The time I spend in the morning affects the rest of the day. When I come across a passage, like today’s parable, or a reflection by one of the Church Fathers or a contemporary theologian, I discuss it with my wife on a walk or over dinner.

Periodically, while living my ordinary life, the topic of religion emerges. It’s in the ordinary moments that God provides an opportunity to put spirituality into action. Now, I can think of hundreds of stories where this has happened to me, and you would think it normal for a pastor, but, instead, I turn to a story my wife, Cindy, told me.

Cindy recently had a conversation about vacations with her trainer. Cindy told her trainer that in 2020, we are going to Oberammergau, Germany to see the Passion Play. Her trainer asked what that was. Cindy explained it was about the Passion of Jesus, and that the play is performed only once every ten years by people who live in Oberammergau. Her trainer acknowledged that she was raised in a home where her parents did not practice religion. After a minute, she asked Cindy, “Didn’t they make a movie about the Passion?” It was Cindy’s opportunity to evangelize in the ordinary moment.

It was her opportunity to evangelize in the ordinary moment. I repeat that sentence because we all have ordinary moments when we can evangelize at the gym or in the bleachers, in a restaurant or the grocery store, while parenting or teaching, babysitting or banking. And anywhere the Spirit blows us is where we plant seeds and marvel at the mystery of God’s Kingdom.

Friends, when we plant seeds, we should marvel not at what we have done but what God has done through Christ, His Church and the Holy Spirit dwelling in and among us. In prayer I ask God that you find ordinary opportunities to plant the seeds of God’s Kingdom and marvel at His Mysteries through prayer and evangelization. And when you do, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] http://sites.utoronto.ca/religion/synopsis/

[2] Isaiah 29:6.

[3] Isaiah 13:4.

[4] Joel 2:11.

[5] Daniel 4:11-12.

[6] Ezekiel 17:23.

[7] Mary Healy, The Gospel of Mark. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 91f.

[8] Mark 8:34-37.

Marcan Sandwiches

One of my favorite foods is the sandwich. Ham, turkey, tuna, roast beef, grilled cheese, BLT or PBJ between two slices of white, wheat, rye, pumpernickel, sour dough, French or Italian bread with condiments, vegetables, even fried eggs in between. The sandwich is a meal for anytime at the table, in front of the TV, at a family picnic or while commuting to work.

Sandwiches predate the 4^th Earl of Sandwich, John Montagu, by 18 centuries. One hundred years before Christ, the famous Jewish leader, Hillel the Elder, ate flat bread sandwiches filled with sliced lamb, a practice that spread to Western Asia and North Africa. Most of us have been to one of the 3 places named Sandwich in America.

I speak of the sandwich, because it is a literary technique characteristic of Mark in which one story is inserted in the middle of another so that each illuminates the other. Mark served sandwiches to Christians orally and in print. Today’s passage is one of 12 found through Mark. In fact, the entire Gospel of Mark is one massive sandwich with 8:29 as the real meat: And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.”

In today’s gospel, three scenes are arranged into one block of material. In the first and third units Jesus is misunderstood by his own family; the second (vv. 22-30) involves a far more serious charge from the religious authorities.[i] As we unpack our sandwich, I would like to look at three ingredients: brother, blasphemy and believer, before returning for another sandwich.

First, brother. Our passage opens with Jesus returning home. From the words Jesus spoke throughout his ministry, home should be the place where one is welcome. After Jesus healed the Gerasene demoniac, he instructed him to go home to his people and tell them how much the Lord did for him and what mercy He showed him.[ii] In Matthew, after he healed the paralytic, Jesus told the man to pick up his bed and go home.[iii] In Luke 15, the father welcomes home his lost son with a king’s feast. Here, however, his family and friends, including his brothers, seek to restrain him or control him.

To understand the reaction of Jesus’ relatives, it is important to recognize what family bonds meant in their social context. An individual existed only as part of an extended family unit, whose authority structure, obligations and customs governed every aspect of life. Any action by an individual was a reflection on the whole family, and any breach of family honor would meet with severe discipline. Since Joseph was no longer alive, Jesus would have to answer to his uncles and senior cousins.

These “brothers” heard that people were saying that Jesus was out of his mind, in other words, mentally ill, often associated with demonic influence. Motivated to protect him from hostile religious leaders, they set out from Nazareth on a 20-mile trip to seize their ordinary young kinsman because they did not believe in him.[iv] In v. 31, we learn that Jesus’ brothers arrived, but finding it impossible to get near him they stood outside. Because our passage is a sandwich, we will return to it later. For now, we move from the outside to the inside, from brothers to blasphemy.

The inside passage of Mark’s sandwich transitions from brothers from Nazareth to scribes from Jerusalem. Sent by the authorities to check out rumors concerning this miracle worker, these experts in the Mosaic law carried more weight than the Galilean Pharisees, Jesus’ fiercest opponents. Their chilling verdict is categorical: “‘He is possessed by Beelzebul,’ and ‘by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.’”[v]

Notice how Jesus responded. He summoned them, suggesting that they were saying these things behind his back, and confronted them face to face, answering their charges in reverse order. To their claim that he was using demonic powers to cast out demons is logically absurd. What king would instigate a revolt against his own rule? If this were so, Satan’s dominion would have collapsed.

In his second statement, Jesus used a burglary analogy. The strong man Satan guarding his illicitly obtained belongings, that is, possessed human beings, must first be subdued in order for his house to be plundered. Recall Isaiah’s prophecy where we read: “Can they seize plunder from warriors, or can the captives of tyrants be rescued? But this is what the LORD says: ‘He will seize even the warriors’ plunder, and the captives of tyrants will be rescued. I myself will quarrel with those who have a quarrel with you, and I myself will save your children.’”[vi]

Finally, Jesus addressed the scribes’ first charge that he is possessed by Beelzebul not with a parable but with a somber warning.[vii] He prefaced his affirmation that all sins, even blasphemy, are forgiven with an Amen, a completely new usage of a word that concludes prayers as an expression of agreement. The closest expression in the Old Testament to Jesus’ phrase, “Truly I say to you,” is the phrase, “As surely as I live,” found in Numbers, Isaiah and Ezekiel.[viii]

Blasphemy is the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, to religious or holy persons or sacred things, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. The word "blasphemy" came from two Greek words meaning injure and utterance, talk or speech. In the sense of speaking evil of God this word is found in Psalm 74: Remember how the enemy has mocked you, LORD, how foolish people have reviled your name.[ix] In Romans 2, Paul borrowed a verse from Isaiah who proclaimed: What is this? asks the LORD. Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout in exultation. My name is blasphemed all day long.[x]

Although abusing or insulting the name of God is a sin against God himself, this is forgivable. What Jesus said here is that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit meant to harden your heart so completely that one defiantly refused to recognize the action of God and attributed to evil the good works Jesus did in the power of the Spirit.[xi] For we see that when Jesus came up out of the water after he was baptized, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.[xii] The scribes who persisted in such willful blindness refused to repent and chose to close themselves to the forgiveness that God offers through Jesus. Now, note that Jesus did not condemn the scribes of committing this sin but warned them of the grave danger that awaited them if they did not open their hearts to the Spirit and repent.

Finally, believers. After the incident with the scribes, Mark resumes the account of Jesus’ brothers who set out to seize him but found it impossible to get near him. Mark highlighted the contrast between Jesus’ family and the audience surrounding him by twice mentioning that his family members stood outside.

This is the only time in Mark that Mary, the Mother of Jesus, appears on the scene. Mark did not indicate that she shared the opinion of those who thought Jesus was out of his mind, but the episode suggests that she did not fully comprehend the scope and significance of her son’s mission. Like others, she must grow in understanding of the divine mystery that only faith can penetrate. Here, as in the finding of the temple and at the foot of the cross, she must undergo a certain detachment in her far greater role in the new family Jesus established. In Acts we read: All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer, together with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.[xiii]

But when he received word that his family was calling, Jesus immediately interrupted his teaching to answer their summons. His reply must have sounded shocking in the cultural context I described earlier. It is the first indication that all earthly ties take second place to the kingdom of God. We hear Jesus speak this again in chapter 10: Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life.[xiv] In other words, Christian discipleship trumps family ties.

Then, gazing with affection and intimacy at those seated around him, Jesus elevated his new family to an unexpected status. His new family, the family of believers, united around him in a bond of love, familiarity and loyalty was stronger than any blood relationship. For we read in John’s Gospel: to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.[xv] This is restated in Hebrews, Romans and Ephesians: You are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God.[xvi]

Establishing a new community of believers was not a rejection of his earthly family. Eventually, his brothers accepted the new basis of kinship evident from what I read in Acts.[xvii]

Jesus’ final statement, “whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother,” explained the foundation for his new family. Jesus’ most heartfelt desire was to please His Father. The only condition for entering God’s family is to do God’s will, just as Jesus did. And to do God’s will, one must first learn what it is by sitting and listening to Jesus as the crowd is doing. By doing God’s will, they in a real sense bring Jesus into the world.

As believers, we are brothers and sisters who bring Jesus into the world. We do so by first sitting and listening to Jesus and doing God’s will. That should be our heartfelt desire. To bring Jesus into the world, to nourish others with the Gospel, we must be nourished daily. And so, in closing I ask you, what is your favorite spiritual sandwich?

Think of your spiritual sandwich as your day. How do you start and end your day, and what happens during the in-between moments? I start my day reading psalms, Scripture passages, and early Christian writings from people like Athanasius, John Chrysostom, Ambrose and Augustine. At the end of the day, I reflect, read a shorter psalm and Scripture passage and pray that Almighty God bless us, protect us and bring us to everlasting life. During the day, I sandwich in other times to pray with my wife and whatever family members or friends are gathered with us. I also listen to spiritual podcasts as I drive to appointments or walk the dogs. When I feel some sadness or bitterness because of some event that occurs, I view it through the prism of the Cross. When I feel joy, I think how God was responsible for this uplifting moment. Thus, my day is like a spiritual sandwich.

None of our spiritual sandwiches will be the same. We read different Scripture passages and materials. We listen to different messages throughout the day. We pray for different people and needs. We experience vastly different moments even if the event is the same. But each day offers us the opportunity to bring Jesus into the world as brothers and sisters seeking with heartfelt desire to please our Father. Brothers may not always understand us. Blasphemers will curse us and our God. Still, we remain steadfast believers listening to Jesus and seeking to do God’s will. Friends, may your spiritual sandwich nourish you daily, and it does, may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[i] Mary Healy, The Gospel of Mark (Baker Academic: Grand Rapids MI, 2008), 75.

[ii] Mark 5:19.

[iii] Matthew 9:7.

[iv] Healy, 75f. See John 7:5.

[v] Mark 3:22.

[vi] Isaiah 49:24-25.

[vii] Healy, 78.

[viii] Numbers 14, 28; Isaiah 49: 18; Ezekiel 5:11.

[ix] Psalm 74:18.

[x] Romans 2:24; Isaiah 52:5.

[xi] Healy 78.

[xii] Mark 1:10.

[xiii] Acts 1:14.

[xiv] Mark 10:29-30.

[xv] John 1:12.

[xvi] Ephesians 2:19.

[xvii] Acts 1:14; see also 1 Cor 9:15; Gal 1:19.

Acts 2: Pneumatology, Passage and Practical Application

Three points are easier to remember if they all begin with the same letter. Case in point: Business owners know that it’s all about people, process and product. Marketing professionals place the logical order of products as price, place and then promotion. Relationship professional advise men to protect, provide and profess their love for family. The key ingredients to being a chef are patience, presence and practice. Finally, if you practice first aid, then you must preserve life, prevent further injury and promote recovery.

While I do not expect you to remember all those Ps, they illustrate that points are easier to remember if all the words begin with the same letter. That said, for Pentecost, I focus on pneumatology, passage and a practical application.

First, pneumatology. Pneumatology refers to a particular discipline within Christian theology that focuses on the study of the Holy Spirit. We derive the term from the Greek word pneuma meaning breath or spirit that symbolically describes a non-material being or influence; and logos meaning teaching about. Pneumatology includes study of the person and works of the Holy Spirit. Works of the Holy Spirit includes teachings on new birth, spiritual gifts, sanctification, the inspiration of prophets, and the indwelling of the Holy Trinity.

The early Church engaged in debates over the divinity of Jesus which led to similar arguments about the Holy Spirit. Later, during the Medieval period, a debate ensued regarding the relationship between Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Eastern Church situated in Constantinople asserted that the Holy Spirit ‘proceeds’ from the Father alone, as stated in the original Nicene Creed, while the Western Church added to the Creed the clause filioque meaning that the Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

During the Reformation and Counter-reformation the relationship between the Spirit and the Scriptures was re-examined. Martin Luther and John Calvin held that the Spirit has a certain ‘interpretive authority’ to ‘illuminate’ scripture, while Counter-reformation theologians responded that the Spirit authorized the Church to serve as authoritative interpreter of Scripture.

Contemporary pneumatology, marked by the Pentecostal movement in various denominations, understands a distinctive relationship between the Spirit and the Church community. Various contemporary theologians see the Spirit as the authority that governs the church, liberates oppressed communities and creates experiences associated with faith.

Now, before I move to my second point, your word for the day is pneumatology. Start a conversation about pneumatology at Sunday dinner, while watching the Cubs or Sox or around the water cooler or coffee pot at work. Discuss pneumatology with conviction and certainty – like you are filled with the Holy Spirit. And so, we move from pneumatology to passage.

In Acts 2, Luke focuses our attention on Pentecost. Pentecost was an agricultural feast where Jews celebrated not only the harvest but also the giving of the Torah. It was known as the Shav – u’– oth or the Feast of Weeks. This festival was celebrated 7 weeks or 50 days after Passover. It brought farmers from Mesopotamia, Judea, Cappadocia, Asia, Egypt, Libya and Rome to Jerusalem to celebrate Shavuot. They came to thank God for the harvest and for the Law.

The original agricultural feast later became a commemoration of God giving the Covenant and Law on Mt Sinai. For Christians, the celebration of the gift of the Law embraced the giving of the new law in the spirit, the writing of the law on the heart.[1] We read in Jeremiah, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah … I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”[2]

Paul echoed the Second Letter to the Corinthians, “You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our hearts, to be known and read by all. And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”[3]

The coming of the Holy Spirit fulfilled this meaning of Pentecost. The opening verses introduce the festival of Pentecost. It declares a salvation event of highest importance, the actual turning point when Israel begins to separate itself from unbelievers to become the Church.[4] To illustrate this Luke assembled a vast representation of all Israel to hear the apostles.

The signs that manifested the Spirit, the loud noise like a strong wind and the tongues of fire, evoked divine appearances on Mount Sinai to Moses and Elijah.[5] Yet, the sign that Luke most emphasized that the apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit was their speaking in different tongues or languages.[6]

The fact that many Jews from different nations heard the apostles speaking in their own tongues of the mighty acts of God signified that the ancient tragedy of Babel was reversed.[7] And the apostles’ “drunken state” symbolized joy and abundant blessings. Yet, the onlookers’ reaction was astonishment and bewilderment. At Pentecost it was clear that the new wine of the Holy Spirit, the gift of God’s love, was poured into human hearts, as Paul remined Christians in Rome.[8]

Again, we move from passage to a practical application. Here, today, we confirm 3 young people: Abigail Howard, Brett Seivert and Christian Woerner. Lutheran confirmation is a public profession of faith prepared for by long and careful instruction. This mature and public profession of the faith marks the completion of the congregation's program of confirmation ministry. Thank you for preparing these young people. ….

And now, since these young people have been studying Luther’s Small Catechism for some time, a bit of catechesis for the rest of you. As Lutherans, we do not treat confirmation as a sacrament of the Gospel in the way we do Baptism and the Eucharist. Yet, we lack a universally accepted definition of confirmation and a consistent approach to it.[9] It’s the Lutheran way.

Luther approved the 1540 Brandenburg Church Order and subscribed to the 1545 Wittenberg Reformation. His emphasis on instruction, especially in preparation for the Lord's Supper, proved to be a major contribution to a new type of confirmation associated not only with Baptism but also with the Lord's Supper.

Where confirmation is associated with Baptism and the Lord's Supper, as is usually the case, 3 essential elements of confirmation are: (1) a course of instruction preceding the rite; (2) profession of faith, usually made through an examination and summarized in formal questions in the rite; (3) and intercessory prayers by the congregation, normally with imposition of hands.

Baptism, not confirmation, normally marks the beginning of one's membership in the church. But here we are preparing to celebrate the confirmation of Abigail, Brett and Christian.

And so, it behooves me to ask you how the Holy Spirit is active in your life today. It is a question I ask all of you. Applying the passage practically, how is the Holy Spirit active in your life today?

Preparing for this sermon, I sent the passage from Acts to some friends along with this question: How is the Holy Spirit active in my life today?

My friend, David from Naperville, responded with this: When I think “living in the Spirit” or walking with God, I focus on three priorities that your love and resulting time should have: God first, family second, and all others third.

When I read the scripture in Acts that you forwarded I am taken to every conference or function where Christians from all over get together that I have attended. The lack of personal or other agendas is gone. Focus is on God first, and what he is doing, or not, in your life. It gives me insight into what heaven will be like.

One of the first times I felt this, and I have felt it many times since, was when I attended the first Urbana (yes, I am that old). It had Christians from all over, and we were of one mind, and one focus. It was a great experience.

A friend named from Pittsburgh wrote this: The Holy Spirit is probably my go to. Since I have never had an original thought in my life, when reading Scripture, and particularly when preparing to preach I seek the guidance of the Spirit. On a day to day basis I pray to the Spirit to make me aware of and alert to opportunities to bring God's presence into every day circumstances. Over the last 35 years, I have repeatedly trusted in and acted upon His/Her urgings. That's how I wound up [being ordained as a deacon, and then living] in Tennessee and now Mississippi.

My cousin’s wife in San Diego said this: My religious education is pretty slim, having gone to public school, the only thing we got was an hour a week at CCD. I'm not sure I can directly say how the Holy Spirit influences my life, but I know there are times when things mysteriously work out and I say it's a “God Thing.” So, since the Holy Spirit is part of God, I suppose I’m getting guidance and comfort from him at those times too.

The signs I like best are the many, I mean many, times a hummingbird has appeared just when I needed it. The hummingbird is my connection to my mother who passed away 30 years ago. I believe God sends a sign of her angel existence in this form to show love and constant companionship. Is that the Holy Spirit maybe helping? Probably.

Finally, my college friend living in St. Louis replied with these words: I visited Rome for the first time with my daughter three years ago. We had a tour through the Vatican, starting at the Vatican Museums. The only part of the tour which I was interested in was The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica. The Chapel was magnificent; and filled with lots of people and tour groups; yet everyone was reverent and respectful. I noticed an Asian tour group, in St. Peter's Basilica, in a line touching the feet of some statue. So, I joined the group at the end of the line to see what was so special about this statue. When I touched the feet of the statue, some powerful force came through me, then I knew something was special. I went back to the statue to read that it was a bronze statue of St. Peter, holding the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven.

She concluded her remarks with: The Holy Spirit is definitely dwelling among us. The Holy Spirit is definitely dwelling among us. The Spirit may not present itself in the same manner as it did to the Apostles on that original Pentecost, but in some manner or form, the Spirit is present among us.

Friends the Holy Spirit did not cease being active in the Church with the last page of the New Testament. Rather, throughout the centuries Scripture and the Holy Spirit have infused the lives of countless men and women that they themselves became living gospels.[10] You are the living gospels because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. As you depart from here, reflect on how the Holy Spirit makes you a living gospel and share that good news with others, and when you do may the peace of God that surpasses all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

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[1] William S. Kurz, Acts of the Apostles (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 44.

[2] Jeremiah 31:31, 33.

[3] 2 Corinthians 3:2-3.

[4] JBC, 730

[5] See Exodus 19:16-19; 1 Kings 19: 11-13.

[6] Kurz, 45.

[7] Kurz, 45. See Genesis 11:1-9.

[8] Romans 5:5.

[9] See Confirmation at http://cyclopedia.lcms.org.

[10] Christopher A. Hall, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 1998), 35.