22 “You that are Israelites, listen to what I have to say: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with deeds of power, wonders, and signs that God did through him among you, as you yourselves know— 23 this man, handed over to you according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of those outside the law. 24 But God raised him up, having freed him from death, because it was impossible for him to be held in its power . .
This Jesus God raised up, and of that all of us are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at my right hand, 35 until I make your enemies your footstool.”’
36 Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
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I can hear you thinking, “Where is our annual Pentecost reading? The one with all the unpronounceable cities and nations? Where are the wind and the flames? We love that one!” I know we all love that one. But I thought it would be nice, for a change, to hear the part about the baptism of 3,000 newly converted Christ followers, since, you know, we’re having a baptism today. You see, when Jay and I were setting a date for his baptism, we knew he wasn’t going to be ready in time for Easter so I said, “How about Pentecost? It’s the birthday of the Church, when three thousand people were baptized, and we have a big celebration!” He agreed Pentecost would be the perfect day for his baptism. So you can understand why I have to preach on that part of the story.
In the year 33 of the Common Era, the total population of Jerusalem was only about 30,000 on a normal day, but at this time of year - the season between Passover and Pentecost - that population might be doubled or tripled, so maybe as many as 150,000 extra people from all over the known world would have been in the city. Imagine any city today hosting the Summer Olympics or the World Cup and you will have an idea of what it might have been like. The crowds and the noise in the city streets would have been unimaginable - people and animals all trying to get somewhere and yelling (or bleating) and not making a lot of headway. In the middle of all this Jesus’ disciples begin to preach in every known language which amazed many and irritated a few. They’re drunk, some said. But Peter got up on his soap box and said, “They’re not drunk. They are just filled with God’s Holy Spirit.” And he began to preach. And he convicted them with his words, saying “Therefore let the entire house of Israel know with certainty that God has made him both Lord and Messiah, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said . . . what should we do?” Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” He continued to preach and to exhort them until, at the end of the day, those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
One of my favorite hymns is “There is a Balm in Gilead”, and whenever I sing the part that says ‘if you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul ” this right here is what I think of. I mean, this is every preacher’s dream! I can’t preach like this. I can’t move a crowd’s emotions enough to make even one person come forward wanting to be baptized. So I take comfort in the rest of that verse, “You can tell the love of Jesus and say, "He died for all”. Because I can do that. We can all do that. Because we are all Christ followers and believers, and we can all preach his love.
From the very beginning of the church, baptism was a thing that was done in community. It might be - is, in fact - a personal decision. But it is not a personal action. Today’s baptism is not a covenant between God and Jay only. It is a covenant between God and Jay and all of us here in this place, this whole community of believers. From the very beginning of the Church, church has been community. Not a bunch of separate individual persons who show up once a week and then wander off to do their thing until the following Sunday, but a true family in Christ, who “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” We, Disciples of Christ, acknowledge that in a very particular and specific way.
When the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was founded, it was in large part because there some ministers who did not believe that a creed, that is to say, a statement of specific beliefs, should be required for any individual believer to be permitted to share in the Lord’s Table. That was (and still is) the reality in many denominations. Disciples welcome all believers, regardless of when and where you were baptized, and even of how exactly you believe in Christ’s divinity. In this congregation there are people who grew up in the Disciples, but there are also folks who started out as Baptists and Catholics and Mennonites and Methodists. . . In my first church, when people asked about our theology, I would tell them that there were people there who believed everything from God wrote the King James Bible with His own hand to people who believed “God is love” and not much else, and everything in between. And all were welcome, because we have no creed but Christ.
We do have an Affirmation. You all received a copy of our Affirmation today because I think it is important for everyone to know what it is, and I think that maybe you don’t all know what it is. There are a couple of important differences between our Affirmation and the Nicene Creed that is accepted as being authoritative by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, and most major Protestant churches. The Nicene Creed, which some of you may have memorized as a child the way I did, says “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible…” and continues from there through how Jesus was conceived and born and lived and died, and how specifically the Spirit is related to Jesus and to God. It is required to say this and believe every word in it, as an individual person, if you wish to share in the Lord’s Supper. It says, I believe in each and every one of these things.
If you will look at the Disciples Affirmation, it says “We” all the way through. And it doesn’t ask us to say we believe in all or indeed any of these things specifically, but to confess, rejoice, accept, celebrate, receive, and yield ourselves. We, together, proclaim Jesus the Christ as Lord and Savior - not our own personal Lord and Savior, but Lord and Savior of the world! It affirms that we are willing to serve God, to be obedient to Christ, and to be joined together through the Holy Spirit. It says that through baptism we are made one with the whole people of God. And so, today, we celebrate as Julian Hernandez becomes one with the whole people of God.
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A Disciples Affirmation
PREAMBLE to the Design of the
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
As members of the Christian Church,
We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,
and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.
In Christ’s name and by his grace we accept our mission of witness and service to all people.
We rejoice in God, maker of heaven and earth, and in God’s covenant of love which binds us to God and to one another.
Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God.
In the communion of the Holy Spirit we are joined together in discipleship and in obedience to Christ.
At the Table of the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ.
Within the universal church we receive the gift of ministry and the light of scripture.
In the bonds of Christian faith we yield ourselves to God that we may serve the One whose kingdom has no end.
Blessing, glory, and honor be to God forever. Amen.
We confess that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God,
and proclaim him Lord and Savior of the world.
In Christ’s name and by his grace we accept our mission of witness and service to all people.
We rejoice in God, maker of heaven and earth, and in God’s covenant of love which binds us to God and to one another.
Through baptism into Christ we enter into newness of life and are made one with the whole people of God.
In the communion of the Holy Spirit we are joined together in discipleship and in obedience to Christ.
At the Table of the Lord we celebrate with thanksgiving the saving acts and presence of Christ.
Within the universal church we receive the gift of ministry and the light of scripture.
In the bonds of Christian faith we yield ourselves to God that we may serve the One whose kingdom has no end.
Blessing, glory, and honor be to God forever. Amen.
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