In the name of Christ Jesus, dear fellow redeemed people of God,

About sixty years ago, a new play opened in Moscow. It was an anti-Christian comedy entitled, "Christ in Tuxedo." The first act portrayed a church altar arrayed like a saloon bar, with bottles of beer, wine and vodka. It was intended to be an exhibition of atheism in the Soviet Union, but then, something strange happened. In the second act, the lead actor was to read two verses from the Sermon on the Mount, impersonating Christ. Then he was to cry out, "Give me my tuxedo and top hat!" He read the words slowly, and then he stopped. He began reading again. His body was shaking as he read the 41 remaining verses of Matthew's fifth chapter. The audience sat stunned. Christ's Word had converted him, right on stage. The curtain was lowered and the performance was canceled. If you think that sounds too good to be true, what about Paul, who was on his way to persecute Christians when he saw the light of Jesus? Or how about these people in Jerusalem on Pentecost? Peter preached and the Holy Spirit worked so powerfully that three thousand were baptized that day! And so, as believers we pray...

1. FILL OUR HEARTS

On that first Pentecost, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit so that the apostles were {4} "filled with the Holy Spirit." The Holy Spirit gave them the ability to proclaim God's Word boldly to others, and to do mission work in foreign languages. They had more faith and more courage. Only the Holy Spirit could work such changes. They were "filled with the Holy Spirit."

We want the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts too. We want him to increase our faith. He does, and he will. But remember what the Bible says, "Faith comes from hearing the message," the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Once the law has shown us our sins, the gospel follows. The Holy Spirit strengthens our hearts as we are reminded that Jesus lived for us and died for us, and rose from death. As we hear the message of forgiveness through Christ, the Holy Spirit does His sanctifying work in our hearts.

Even though this is the time of graduation, may we never think that we are graduating from God's Word! We never graduate from God's Word until we reach our heavenly home. Dear graduates, and others, no matter where you go, and no matter what you do, stay close to your Savior by receiving God's Word and Sacrament regularly. Then, the Holy Spirit will continue his saving work in your hearts. May it be our prayer, all through life, "Come, Holy Spirit," fill our hearts, and...

2. MOVE OUR LIPS

Look who was preaching on that first Pentecost! The very same Peter who denied Jesus was now preaching the Word with great boldness. He pointed out the people's sins. He called them to "Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of ... sins." The Holy Spirit had given Peter a stronger faith, and greater courage, so that he was not afraid to stand up in public and proclaim God's law and gospel. Do you think that you could do that?

As I began to study for the ministry, I did not realize how many different things a pastor is expected to do. But when I thought about preaching, I wondered if I would be able to preach sermons. I did not like public speaking. When I began preaching, I was very nervous. It was never easy. I would prepare, and pray, and the Lord would get me through somehow. But the very next time, I would be just as nervous. As my faith and knowledge began to grow, so did my confidence and courage. And so, the Holy Spirit used God's Word to make preaching a little easier. Many other pastors would probably say the same thing. We have different personalities and abilities, perhaps, but we aim to preach God's Word in its truth and purity. And God promises to work through his Word.

Would you like to tell others about Jesus? Before you even think to answer, remember Peter. He denied Jesus in the courtyard, but here he was preaching a very powerful sermon on Pentecost. Don't underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit. He can work miracles. But the Holy Spirit works through the Word of God. As you grow in faith and knowledge of God's Word, your confidence and courage will grow too. The Holy Spirit will work through his Word to increase your faith, and your ability to talk about what you believe. Be sure to pray for God's help, because nothing good happens without God's blessing. And so, we pray, Come, Holy Spirit... move our lips, and...

3. LEAD MANY MORE TO FAITH.

The Holy Spirit is the one who works conversions, and we do not. I have never converted anybody, and neither has any other pastor on the face of the earth. The sum total of all the conversions that pastors and teachers and laymen have worked is a big fat zero! But God the Holy Spirit has worked many conversions through the Word of God that we have shared. On that first Pentecost, three thousand people were baptized! That is fantastic! We had two baptisms in one week not too long ago, and I thought we were doing pretty well. How about three thousand baptisms in one day?! Let us give credit where credit is due. The Holy Spirit worked those conversions. And he did it through the message Peter preached. The same Holy Spirit is still working through God's Word today. And so, we pray that he would bring many to faith in our day too.

God promises that His Word will never return to Him empty, but it will accomplish what He desires and achieve the purpose for which He sent it. So, think about it. We have this great and powerful message of our crucified and risen Savior. Let's share it with as many people as we can, and the Holy Spirit will work through the message!

Consider the example of the old Lutheran Hour radio program, started by Dr. Walter Maier just when radio was becoming popular. Maier thought that if he could broadcast messages on the radio, more people would hear the gospel, and be touched by the Holy Spirit's power. Was he ever right! During World War II, the Lutheran Hour became the most popular show on radio, even beating out the secular comedy shows! Since there were no TV's yet, that was really something! Millions upon millions of people heard the saving gospel of Jesus Christ! Dr. Maier preached. Generous laymen supported the work. But the Holy Spirit did the real work in people's hearts. We don't know how many conversions there were, but we do know this: Walter Maier's own synod gained 300,000 members every decade that he preached!

Can we reach more people with the good news? I believe that we can! We have the most powerful message of all, the gospel of Jesus Christ. May God help us to keep the message straight, and get the message out to more and more people. If the Holy Spirit could work 3000 conversions in one day, just think what he can do! Don't underestimate God's power! Graduates, parents, children, fellow believers, let's get the saving gospel out there! On this Pentecost, nearly two thousand years later, we pray: "Come, Holy Spirit! Fill our hearts; move our lips; and bring many more to faith." Amen.