Click this link to hear an audio version of the below text narrated by SOTH member Jerry Rhinehart:
Acts 2:22-24 (NIV)
22 “Fellow Israelites, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. 23 This man was handed over to you by God’s deliberate plan and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. 24 But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him.
From Mt. Sinai to the Cross of Christ, God has been at work calling his precious people to himself. The calling of Abraham, the choosing of the people of Israel and the invitation of Jesus continue to this very day. And, as God calls us, he continues to remind us of his activity: his miraculous works and wonderous signs. Our Scripture today comes from Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost. In this sermon, preached to all who have gathered, we have confirmation that the dividing line between the Jews and the Gentiles has been broken. All of creation is made new in the Cross of Christ. This is God’s promise to us this day.