Wednesday March 25th Lenten Service Sermon to St. Paul's Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Acts 2:14-21

May 14-21, 2008

Lutheran church plans a “mass-baptism”

Eisleben, Germany -- On November 11th, 1483, the great reformer, Martin Luther, was carried up the street from the house where he was born to the church of Saints Peter and Paul. With Martin’s father and godparents standing by, the local priest held the day-old little Luther naked over the baptismal font and dunked him three times into the cold November waters of God’s certain grace. “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” He was named Martin because November 11th is the feast day for Saint Martin of Tours. Certain that Martin was now saved for all eternity, his father brought him home to begin his life as the son of a copper mining prospector.
It is 525 years later in the same city now called Lutherstadt Eisleben. The pastors of that same church where Martin Luther was baptized, along with a couple of neighboring pastors from Eisleben, are planning something big in honor of the 525th anniversary of Martin Luther’s baptismal birthday. Their goal: baptize 525 people in Saints Peter and Paul church on November 11th, 2008. It is a lofty goal to be sure. But will they be able to make it happen? Claudia Bergmann, one of the pastors of the historic church says, “Will we reach 525? I don’t know. But what better way is there to find out then to try?”
There is a lot of excitement surrounding this event. There are already people registered to be baptized or to have their children baptized. Lot’s of people are talking about what baptism means in a town where only 13% of the population is Christian. Some are traveling from all over Germany in order to receive the sacrament of Baptism in this historic place at the remains of the very font in which Martin Luther was baptized.
Hundreds of newspapers throughout Europe picked up the story and have been writing about the “mass-baptism”. The pastors in Eisleben are thrilled about the press, but not about the choice of words. “We aren’t going to baptize 100, 200, or 525 people all at once,” says Pastor Claudia Bergmann. “It won’t be a mass-baptism. No fire hoses or anything unworthy of the sacrament of Baptism. One at a time. If we reach our goal of 525, we will still only be around 18% of the number that were baptized on Pentecost. I think that’s a pretty humble start, don’t you?”

So what does 525 people being baptized on the 525th anniversary of Martin Luther’s Baptism have to do with today’s reading? Other than the fact that the article refers to the reading. Baptism. Yes, both stories contain mass Baptisms and conversion.
Our theme for today is, “The Evangelization of Every People.” Today’s reading from Acts is part of the sequence of events following the Pentecost account of the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples, causing them to speak in tongues. Following this event Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, goes out into the crowd and preaches a sermon so profound so convincing that 3000 people were baptized and became believers that very day. Some in the crowed thought that the apostles were drunk. I would say that these people were like the liberal theologians of today who cannot conceive of anything supernatural happening, even if God is involved.
What was it about Peter’s sermon that was so compelling? What purpose does a preacher serve? It’s because Peter preached with authority, filled with the Holy Spirit that the people were “cut to the heart” as verse 37 states. This is how God evangelizes all people he sends a true preacher who preaches the gospel message with the authority and the power that comes from the Holy Spirit. A true preacher delivers the gospel message in a way that causes faith to happen in the hearers of this message. This faith brings forth repentance and baptism is the seal put upon this conversion.
Romans 10:14-17 (ESV)
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Article 5 of the Augsburg Confessions states:
That we may obtain this faith, the Ministry of Teaching the Gospel (the office of preaching) and administering the Sacraments was instituted. For through the Word and Sacraments, as through instruments, the Holy Ghost is given, who works faith; where and when it pleases God, in them that hear the Gospel, to wit, that God, not for our own merits, but for Christ's sake, justifies those who believe that they are received into grace for Christ's sake.
They condemn the Anabaptists and others who think that the Holy Ghost comes to men without the external Word, through their own preparations and works.
Article 5 follows article four, I’m from southern Iowa and even I can do that math, Article 4 states that we are saved by faith alone. And how does this saving faith happen? Article 5 explains through hearing the gospel proclaimed by a true preacher and receiving the sacraments.
The sacrament that today’s message concentrates on is baptism. Baptism is the first time in your lives that you heard a true preacher bestow the promises of Christ upon you and elect you for the kingdom of heaven, even if you do not remember it or did not choose it, God’s work was done within you. Baptism is a once and for all thing. I am often asked, “ but can’t we deny our baptism or reject God?” To which I simply answer, with the Dr. Phil response “ how is that working for you?” I believe that the good Lord would get a fine laugh out of one of us mere humans trying to break his all powerful grip upon us. You see we as humans , by nature are forgetful of God’s promises and therefore God doesn’t just send a preacher one time but over and over to remind us of His all powerful, fatherly , divine love, mercy, and grace. This repetition is not for the sake of salvation, as I said Baptism is a once and for all thing, but for the sake of your consciences and the work for your neighbors that comes from you after hearing a true preacher.
The Baptism promise can be found in
Romans 6:4:
We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
In your baptism your flesh was put to death and God raised up a new creation. So why, if your flesh is dead, is it still functioning here on earth? Luther believed that you are not called to one time repentance but a life of repentance. Baptism’s claim is a onetime thing but the death that it bestows is a daily dying to self and flesh. The repentance that comes out of this death to self is the result of the new creation’s existence within you. Today’s reading says in verse 21 quoting from the book of Joel 2:32 21 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ This calling upon the name of the Lord isn’t gaining you New life, and it isn’t you asking to be created a new rather it is the proof or the fruit of the repentance that is being worked within you by the power of the Holy Spirit. You do not call upon the name of the Lord in order to be saved but because he has saved you. In answer to my previous question, “Why is our flesh still here when you are a new creation?” Because God chooses to use you in this world to witness to and serve your neighbors who have not yet been saved or chosen. You are to do God’s electing. You are to live a life of repentance as witness to your neighbors, not to gain your salvation but because of it.
In the newspaper article I read earlier we see that God is still calling people to himself. He is still calling people to be baptized and saved. He is still creating the body of believers just as he was at Pentecost. How magnificent would it be to see 3000 people come forward to be baptized, compelled by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is the evangelization of all people. This is your call as the priesthood of all believers.
If you came here tonight wondering if you were one of the elected and are still not for sure, then I am now telling you you are! If you didn’t think that you had yet been elected then I am electing you. I’m sure that all of you have been baptized and if not then call Pastor Wells and be baptized. As for the rest of you go in the peace that salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord brings loving and serving your neighbor. Go live a life worthy of your calling, not to gain salvation or the favor of the Lord but because you have already obtained favor and salvation. Go and give it away.