Pentecost Sunday 2026
messenger dox
Call to worship:
OT:
pastor zachary mcguire
Joel 2.28-32
NT:
pastor michael champoux
Acts 2.1-4
song:
O church arise
historical reading:
pastor andrew loginow
apostles’ creed
song:
Grace greater than all our sin
Confession & Pardon:
pastor kevin mcguire
Tithes & offerings:
pastor Bobby owens
song:
something greater
Sermon:
Pentecost Sunday 2026
dr. Al loginow
Introduction
Yesterday was my 38th birthday. I don’t care about my birthday – I don’t care about celebrating it: gifts, dessert, singing, “bah humbug.” Bethany is the opposite of me – she loves celebrating everyone’s birthday, especially her own. Today we celebrate the church’s birthday – not just CCC in particular, but the church catholic, the church universal. Unfortunately, many Evangelical churches, especially in the Baptist tradition, have regarded Pentecost like I regard my own birthday – with complete disregard.
Pentecost is a high holy day, like Xmas or Easter. Pentecost happened 50 days after the resurrection of Christ and 10 days after His ascension. Pentecost begins the Holy Spirit-focused season of the liturgical calendar we call Ordinary Time. Pentecost is the day the Holy Spirit was poured out on the people of God as predicted in our OT reading and documented in our NT reading. Our sermon this morning though finds us in John 20.19-23, which has historically been called the Johannine Pentecost. St. John gives us a little different perspective as we celebrate the coming of God’s Holy Spirit and the feast of Pentecost!
Exposition
Verse 19 begins, on the evening of that day, the first day of the week. How mesmerizing the prose of St. John here? If we had read all of chapter 20, we would know which day he speaks of – this is the 3rd day – the day Jesus Christ was raised from the dead. This is that day; the hinge on which history turns. It was not only the 1st day of that week, that week in the early 1st century. It was the 1st day of the rest of eternity.
It was the 1st Christian sabbath (τῇ μιᾷ σαββάτων); celebrated for 2 millennia as “The Lord’s Day.” The dawning of the great eschatological Day of yhwh. St. John shows us that Pentecost is about the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Pentecost is the beautiful debris of the Easter dynamite.
But at this point that day was oppressed under a cloud of fear. Even though the sun (Son) had risen, the disciples remained in darkness. One commentator notes: “Fear of world forces can often seize Christians who focus not on God’s power but on worldly might.” How often can we confess to hiding in our own upper rooms? How often do we live in fear? Maybe of political opponents, or physical safety, or financial ruin, or whatever else, how often do we submit to a spirit of fear?
Let’s not miss this good news, though, brothers and sisters, in their darkness, in their fear, Jesus came and stood among them. Did Jesus walk through the wall? Did the door open like the stone of the tomb? Did he just appear?
And if he did walk through the wall, what does that mean for the nature of his resurrected body, which can move through a wall, but also be handled, and physically eat food? We don’t know and the speculation isn’t the point. I like what one commentator wrote: “the Gospel writers did not and undoubtedly could not explain such a mystery. What the early followers of Jesus did was witness to what they saw and touched.”
What St. John does say is that the doors were locked and that Jesus came and stood among them. So, whether he walked through the wall, or miraculously opened the lock, the point is that Jesus could not be thwarted. He had an appointment with the disciples. Their goal was to keep the Jews out; they couldn’t keep Jesus out.
And with the Lord’s arrival came the announcement of Peace: and [Jesus] said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.
Pentecost means peace. Twice in these 5 verses Jesus says, “Peace be with you.” The Greek εἰρήνη; the Latin pax; from the Hebrew שָׁלוֹם. שָׁלוֹם was lost in the garden, in Adam’s fall, but the last Adam greets us with the words, “peace be with you.” And for 2,000 years Christians have liturgically done the same.
The gospel of Jesus announces peace. Pentecost means peace with God. Romans 5.1 says, therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. The war between God and his rebellious elect has ceased in Christ.
We, who were the enemies of God are now his friends. Every week we dine with Him at the table of thanksgiving. At the Eucharist we remember and proclaim the cost, which brokered our divine and eternal peace – His body broken for us; His blood shed for us. Sandwiched between his twofold declaration of peace, Christ Jesus bared his hands and his side. The peace of God was accomplished on the Roman cross.
If you’re not a believer, make peace with God today – look to the scars! take Christ by faith! This is why every week here at CCC we freely offer the gospel. The word gospel means, “good news.” It’s the good news that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5.8). God is our holy creator, and we have sinned and fall short of his glory. It’s the good news that the Word became flesh – conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary – and dwelt among us (John 1.14), yet without sin (Heb 4.15) Jesus kept God’s Law in our place. He died as our substitute on the cross, enduring God’s wrath. And He rose on the 3rd day, victorious over Satan, sin, and death. It’s the good news that if you repent of your sin and trust in him, your sin is forgiven and you will live forever. Take Christ, even now! I invite you to experience your own personal Pentecost this morning – receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Jesus!
Jesus also pronounces peace to them because Pentecost means peace between people. We read from Acts 2 earlier when the Spirit comes on the day of Pentecost, people of different ethnicities, different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds have fellowship through the Holy Spirit. Romans 12.18 says, if possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Pentecost means peace between people.
Pentecost also means purpose. Jesus says, “as the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” This is St. John’s Great Commission. The great purpose, the great mission of the church is to announce the good news of God’s Kingdom in the resurrection of Christ Jesus.
Notice that the gospel is both (1) the standard and (2) the substance of our purpose. It’s the standard – we are being sent in the same way that Jesus was sent. The gospel itself is our pattern. For God loved the world in this way that he sent his one-and-only Son (John 3.16). The paradigm for our purpose is the gospel of Jesus.
But it’s also the substance of our purpose. The church is sent to announce that Jesus was sent to save sinners. As we go, we are telling the world that Jesus went. Notice also that the Holy Spirit does the same. He is sent by the Father and the Son to send the church to tell the world that the Father sent the Son to save sinners. Pentecost means gospel-centered purpose.
And then in verse 22 St. John gives us his picture of Pentecost. And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Here we see St. John’s dramatic retelling of what will happen 50 days later at Pentecost. John 20 and Acts 2 are the same pericope, just from different angles.
John’s emphasis is the new creation. The word “breathed” in John 20.22 is ἐνεφύσησεν; it’s an aorist active indicative 3rd person singular of ἐμφυσάω. It’s what we call a hapax legomenon – a word that occurs only once in the NT. But it is used in the LXX, and this is the same exact verb and tense used in the LXX Genesis 2.7 – then yhwh God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
It is also used in Ezekiel 37.9 – the valley of dry bones. Just like yhwh breathed the breath of life into Adam, just like the prophet called the breath (רוּחַ - breath, wind, spirit) to resurrect the dry bones of Israel, the Lord Jesus breathes life into his church by his Spirit at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is the breath of life for the new Israel. Just as Adam was given the cultural mandate, so now the church is given the great commission. Not only are we to be fruitful and multiply physically, but spiritually. Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Teaching them everything that I’ve commanded you. Pentecost is the dawning of the New Creation.
Also don’t miss that Jesus teaches that He is doing the work. This commission is great. It cannot be accomplished by our own means. We need the breath of Christ to fill our spiritual lungs. We need the Holy Spirit of God to lead us, teach us, correct us, and empower us. Pentecost isn’t just some crazy event that happened to give the church a good start. Pentecost is about Christ building His Kingdom in His new world of His Spirit-empowered church.
Which explains this peculiar statement in vs 23: If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld. What does this mean? Let’s initially note what it does not mean because it has been poorly interpreted, namely, though not exclusively, by the Roman Catholic Church. Jesus is not saying that the church has the authority to dispense forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins is not at the behest of popes, cardinals, bishops, pastors, elders, deacons, or a congregation. As the Pharisees rightly acknowledge in St. Mark’s Gospel, only God can forgive sins.
So, what does it mean? This is what St. Matthew called the keys to the kingdom (Matt 16 & 18). It means the church offers forgiveness exclusively in the gospel of Jesus. If someone accepts the gospel, there is genuine forgiveness. If they reject the gospel, the gospel rejects them. The church merely acknowledges what the gospel does. If someone is forgiven in Christ, we affirm forgiveness. If someone denies Christ, we warn there’s no forgiveness outside of Christ. We are not permitted to offer forgiveness through anything other than Christ. We are not permitted to deny genuine forgiveness in Christ.
In his commentary on St. John’s Gospel, Gerald Borchert (boar-kurt) observes:
“Thus one could say that Jesus’ followers are to make the Gospel so clear that it is evident where people stand on the nature of sin. When these texts are understood in this perspective, it should become clear that Jesus’ commission to his followers is not one of privileged judgment but of weighty responsibility to represent the will of God in Christ with extreme faithfulness and to be honest and authentic about their evaluations or judgments.”
Pentecost means pardon.
Conclusion
Jesus breathes into CCC in a fresh way on this Pentecost Sunday 2026 by the Word and sacrament – receive the Holy Spirit. If you haven’t repented and believed the gospel, receive the Holy Spirit. Believer, be reminded of the peace, purpose, and pardon in the gospel of Jesus. Regarding this birthday, do as I say, not as I do. Receive the Holy Spirit. Happy Pentecost and happy birthday to you.