Peter’s sermon, while relatively short and to the point, led to an extraordinary response: 3000 were baptized in one day. This response is not due to any special words proclaimed but because they acknowledged that God is Triune. We acknowledge and celebrate the same, the mystery and unity of God, on this special day dedicated to the Trinity, one God in three persons.

This weekend, we are diving into the explosive events of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit arrives with the force of a hurricane. Watch as once-timid disciples are transformed into bold proclaimers and witness the birth of a movement that will change the world forever! We’ll look at Peter’s powerful sermon and the birth of the Church!

Fasten your seatbelts as we launch into the wonderful book of Acts! We will introduce the book of Acts and focus on Jesus' final instructions to His disciples and the promise of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 1 sets the stage for the Church's mission and emphasizes the importance of our being Christ's witnesses.

The resurrection of Jesus is quite literally what makes or break our faith. Now that we’ve considered the evidence for Jesus’ resurrection, we can answer the question with all the more certainty, “Is our faith futile? Can we believe in the resurrection?”

Peter was a follower of Jesus who denied knowing Jesus and thought his faith was fractured beyond repair. Yet, Jesus invited Peter back into a relationship with Him. Peter was so committed to his faith and the resurrection that he went on die for what he believed. Even when we struggle with faith, Jesus invites us into that kind of relationship with Him, too!

Peanut Butter and Jelly. Macaroni and Cheese. There are some things that just go together. For the early Jews, the Sabbath Day and worship went together – until the early Christians changed their worship day to Sunday. For them, resurrection paired with worship even better than the Jewish Sabbath, for Jesus’ resurrection became the center piece of their hope.

The story of Saul’s conversion from a hunter of Christians to joining them displays some powerful evidence for Jesus’ resurrection and how it can cause a turn of events even in the most unexpected and violent people.

We can sometimes think debates over a dead man coming back to life are new to our day and age. But people have long debated whether or not resurrection is possible. This was a debate between the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’ day. Old debates, then, and now our debates – and they are still worth having.

We celebrate the Risen Savior who gives us the victory over sin, death, and the devil. It is finished, it is done, and we continue to live the story of new life.

On Good Friday comes the ultimate sacrifice, that of Jesus. His body is broken and his blood is shed so that we might have life, so that we would not have to live in our sin any more!