"Welcome, Becca, as Our Spanish-Speaking Deaconess"

Sermon on Acts 2:17-21

9 AM, July 9, 2000

Saint Mark's, Watertown, WI

Pastor Karl Walther

Scripture says: It was Christ who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Amen.

God's Word for our special consideration on this special occasion of the installation of our Spanish-speaking deaconess is Acts chapter two, verses seventeen through twenty-one. Here the Apostle Peter quotes the Prophet Joel regarding the events of the first Pentecost:

"In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy."

"I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

This is God's Spirit-inspired Word of Jesus Christ.

Introduction: "What Is a Deaconess?"

Dear fellow servants of our Savior, Jesus Christ-- and particularly you, Becca, our new Spanish-speaking deaconess:

"What's a deaconess?" -- That's a question we've fielded here at church more than once in the past several months. And even more exactly, we've heard the question: "What is our Spanish-speaking deaconess going to do?"

Let me take up that first question for now. "What's a deaconess?" Well strictly speaking, the term is not found in the Bible. In two places, however, it's hinted at. In First Timothy chapter three it appears that some of the female members of a deacon's family sometimes helped him in his work. So, you could say they were deaconesses. In Romans chapter sixteen, verses one and two, a lady named Phoebe is called a servant (literally a "deacon", though not literally a "deaconess") who helps the church in Cenchrea.

Now, even though the term "deaconess" is not found in the Bible, don't let that fool you. The Scriptures do say a lot about "deacon-hood" or "deacon-ship". In the Greek of the Bible, the verb "diakoneo" means "to take care of", "to help", and especially "to serve". When official deaconesses did arise in the church in the third century ad, they particularly served those who were poor.

Becca, with that kind of helping and serving in mind, let me suggest to you that the term "deaconess" does an excellent job of describing the work Christ is calling on you to do. Today Saint Mark's says to you: * WELCOME, BECCA, AS OUR SPANISH-SPEAKING DEACONESS. We'll say, first of all, that (1) WE WANT YOU TO HELP US PROCLAIM JESUS. And we'll say, secondly, that that's (2) BECAUSE JESUS IS RETURNING SOON.

Exposition One: Peter Preached That Christians Proclaim Jesus

The special Scriptures for us today, you'll recall, are Peter's words quoting the Prophet Joel regarding the events of the first Pentecost. From our second reading today, you remember that on Pentecost the apostles were gathered together. Suddenly, in keeping with Christ's promise, the Holy Spirit came on them-- with the sound of a wind, and apparent flames of fire, and an ability to speak perfectly in foreign languages they had never studied. When a crowd surrounded the apostles, wondering what had happened, Peter replied, This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel....

In the last days, God says -- and the reference here is to the entire New Testament time period -- I will pour out my Spirit on all people. God was promising that just as surely as the Holy Spirit had come upon the apostles in an audible and visible form, the Holy Spirit would come upon every Christian in a just as genuine, though less dramatic way. And the Holy Spirit has done exactly that for all these years: in Holy Baptism.

And so, God elaborates: Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Now, that statement reflects quite a change from the state of affairs in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, it was only certain people who were anointed to serve as prophets, only certain ones who were anointed to serve as priests, and only certain ones who were anointed to serve as kings. When Christ came, of course, as the Anointed One, he served in all those offices.

Well, in the New Testament, so do we. Our baptism anointed us all as prophets, priests, and kings-- underneath the great Prophet, Priest, and King. First Peter two, nine, assures us: You are a chosen people, a royal (that is: kingly) priesthood (you're priests), a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him (and that's being a prophet) who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

God goes on here to say: Your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Now, that's more of a reflection of the inspiration of the New Testament that the Holy Spirit gave to men like Peter, Paul, and John, in keeping with Christ's promise. Each of them received visions from the Lord.

And then the Lord reiterates: Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

Application One: Becca, We Want You to Help Us Proclaim Jesus

Becca, that explains what Christ is calling upon you to do among us. He wants you, and we want you, to help us proclaim Christ.

You see, even though we all share in the private ministry of proclaiming Christ, Christ is calling you and we are calling you into public ministry. As I said at the very beginning of the sermon: It was Christ who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers -- and honestly: that's not meant to be an exhaustive list; it would also include deaconesses -- to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. That's the way we're calling on you to help us proclaim Christ.

You see, as we've carried on this marvelously blessed -- really: miraculous -- Spanish language ministry in the last five years, we've had personal contact with well over a hundred Mejicanos, more than thirty of whom are already our members. As we've gotten acquainted with them, as we've grown to love them, as we've sought to serve them, a couple needs have stood out. These folks need help coping with life in an English-speaking world. And we need Spanish-speaking help to serve them in that area.

And so, Becca-- as you know well, and as I'd like to remind everyone else-- we've called you to help us help our Mexican friends cope with life in an English-speaking world. This will involve your setting up English as a Second Language classes. It will have you working as a liaison between our school and the seven or so Spanish-speaking families our school serves. And your work will have you assisting people in obtaining what they need day by day; our experience suggests this will be housing help and medical help especially.

But now, I'd like to turn to the rest of you folks and say: Don't you be thinking that since Becca is here, you are free from your responsibility toward our Mexican friends. Not at all! Remember what I said about Becca's public ministry! She is here to help us proclaim Jesus! ...And what does that mean for you specifically?

That means you've got to pray for her. Can I ask you to do that? Put Becca on your prayer list every week. And every week pray that she remain firm in faith in Christ. Every week pray that no harm whatsoever come to her. Every week pray that our Lord bless her as she carries out her responsibilities. And every week pray that her work give us lots of opportunities to proclaim Christ to people, so that they too join us as inheritors of paradise through Jesus Christ.

Let me suggest that besides praying for Becca, you also help pay for Becca. Now, Becca is doing her work for free. She will be coordinating classes and translating for teachers and meeting needs not for money-- but because she loves Jesus, and she loves others, and she wants others to get to know Jesus. Nevertheless, we will compensate her-- or else she'd go homeless and starve! No, we will compensate her generously in keeping with the fine work she will be doing for us and with us.

In terms of paying for this ministry, by the way, let me remind you: right now we are using funds generously provided by Siebert Lutheran Foundation of Milwaukee. That money will only last a year or two. But when we find out what a blessing Becca is going to be, we're going to want her position to last longer than that. It's up to us to support this work! So, you might want to join me in giving toward this Spanish-language mission work of ours. On any offering envelope of yours, add the words "Spanish Language Outreach" and a dollar amount to be given. Personally, I do this every week with the midweek offering envelopes each week. I give a smallish fraction of my family's weekly offering -- usually it's twenty or twenty-five bucks -- to this worthy ministry.

So, I've mentioned praying and paying. You know that I'll also mention participating with Becca in her work. There's no way Becca can do all this work all by herself-- any more than we pastors are able to do more than a small part of the work of the church. Becca's going to need help-- especially providing some child care during English as a Second Language classes. She's going to need help-- especially arranging some rides to and from school for the kids. She's going to need help-- especially pairing folks off with our Spanish-speaking families to assist them in their day to day living. And we are the ones who need to do that helping!

Exposition Two: Peter Preached That Jesus Is Returning Soon

But why? Why bother? All this praying and paying and participating and helping and aiding and assisting-- this is hard work! Why concern ourselves with it?

Well, in the final paragraph of Scripture for us today, Peter reports God's words: I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below. And what are these? -- Blood (punishment!) and fire (righteous anger over sin!) and billows of smoke (hellacious chastisement!), the sun will be turned to darkness (no more time of grace!) and the moon to blood (no more time for repentance!) before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord-- in fact: on the great and glorious day of the Lord. (And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.)

Application Two: Jesus Is Returning Soon, Becca

Becca, that explains why you're willing to work so hard! Christ is coming back-- and really: it could be any time now!

Christ is coming back. And on that day: the light of the sun will give out, and so will the light of the moon. So folks, on that day: our net worth won't matter; our bank accounts will give out, too. And on that day: people's perception of us won't matter; our reputations will give out, too. And on that day: our relative happiness or unhappiness won't matter; fun and games will give out, too.

Christ is coming back. And on that day bloody punishment will ensue, and fiery anger, and smoky hell. God will exercise his furious wrath in eternal anger against every soul with even one sin on his or her account. It's a fate -- an everlasting fate! -- we don't even want to imagine!

But: Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved! Everyone who, with contrite heart, calls out now, "Jesus, forgive my greed! Jesus, forgive my pride! Jesus, forgive my selfishness!"-- your sins are indeed forgiven. Everyone who, with faithful heart, calls out now, "Jesus, credit to my account your perfect generosity! Jesus, credit to my account your perfect humility! Jesus, credit to my account your perfect selflessness!"-- your righteousness is indeed obtained.

Becca, that's your status as a treasured daughter of your Heavenly Father by way of your Big Brother Jesus Christ. Friends, that's your status as prized sons and daughters of our Exalted King. And friends, and Becca, that's the glorious message you have to carry to other people-- all other people, including our Mejicano friends. And there is no more glorious or important work on the face of the earth!

Conclusion: "Our Deaconess Is Here!"

So: "What's a deaconess?" "What's our Spanish-speaking deaconess going to do?" Those are some questions we've fielded lately, and hopefully I've answered them well through God's Word to us today.

By the way, one other question we've fielded a great deal lately is: "When?-- When is our new deaconess coming?" Folks, I'm happy to report: "Today's the day!" Thanks be to God! And welcome to you, Becca! Amen.

Scripture says: You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Amen.