“Listen up”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, April 23, 2023
Acts 2:14a,36-41 (Forward, p. 84) CEV pp. 1134, 1135
The people residing there in Jerusalem on the occasion of that most epic Pentecost day were a truly remarkable lot. I say this because, not only did they listen and pay heed to what Peter and the other apostles said, they were so affected by it—cut to the quick some translations say—that they actually wanted to do something about it. They immediately asked the apostles what they should do.
And what did the apostles say. Repent, turn back to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. And incredibly, a whole bunch of them, some 3000 of them actually did that. That kind of response is not only incredible, but from my experience and my reading of history, is most unusual. I don’t see evidence of that kind of response happening very often.
But then, maybe, this matter of response has less to do with purely human factors, human motivation—though being ‘cut to the quick’ most certainly had something to do with it—and more with the coming of the Holy Spirit and His sovereign and rather remarkable work in their lives! So, perhaps I am ‘barking up the wrong tree’ when it comes to evangelism. Often I am thinking purely of the human response, and of the way the message is framed and presented in order to touch their hearts. However, maybe instead—or at least, in addition to this—I should be praying for the descent of the Holy Spirit into our lives, church and community. Praying that the Holy Spirit might come upon us all and do His work, the work that only He can do. It is a prayer worth considering. Amen.
Forward notes: “This Jesus whom you crucified” (verse 36b).
“Whenever I have the honor of doing a baptism, I remember that immersion into water symbolizes dying with Christ. Our Episcopal ‘sprinkling’ doesn’t necessarily have the same dramatic effect, but the sacrament is the same: to die and be raised to new life in Christ.
“We may think we have nothing to do with Jesus’s crucifixion, but we crucify him every time we let a racist or prejudicial comment go unremarked, whenever we put our will above God’s will. That’s why baptism isn’t carte blanche to do anything we want to do. We need
confession (corporate or individual), so we can regain our spiritual balance. The words of the baptismal liturgy remind us of the importance of renouncing evil and renewing our commitment to Jesus. The promises we make on behalf of the baptized (and that perhaps, our parents or other adults made on our behalf) call us into right relationship with God and with others.
“Next time I baptize a small person, I will likely tear up, as I witness this sacred moment, a newborn Christian’s journey from death to life in Christ.”
Moving Forward: “How can the words in the service of baptism help you regain spiritual balance?”