"And day by day the Lord added to their number
Those who were being saved."  -- Acts 2:47
 

Let us pray:
God of power, may the boldness of your Spirit transform us;
May the gentleness of your Spirit lead us;
May the gifts of your Spirit be our goal and strength, now and always.
In the Spirit of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Pentecost was a magnificent day in the life of those first disciples of Jesus.  One hundred twenty gathered together in one place - far less than this congregation this morning - when without any warning the Holy Spirit descended upon them as a mighty wind and with tongues as of fire.

Peter preached a powerful sermon; three thousand people were converted and joined the one hundred twenty - talk about church growth!  The Church of Jesus Christ was born, so Pentecost is known as the birthday of the Christian Church.

Last Sunday was the Day of Pentecost - fifty days after Easter.  Today is the Sunday following Pentecost.  Pentecost was a tremendous day for those first disciples, but then came the day after Pentecost when they had to face the hard work of being the Church of Jesus Christ in a hostile world - the very same challenge we face.

Surely you can identify with what they must have been feeling:  the let down, the anxiety about the future.  The excitement of a new home-then the crab grass in the yard;  the joy of a new job - then the reality of the office politics.  The cheering of the Red Sox - then a late inning home run.  The mountain top experience of ordination - then a cranky parishioner.  Well, you get the idea - something of what those disciples must have been feeling the day after Pentecost.

Saint Luke, the author of the Book of Acts, gives us a rare and all-too-brief glimpse into the life of the early church.  We wish he told us more.  He writes:  "Day by day, as they spent much time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of all the people.  And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved."  This rather small group of Christians, living in a hostile, pagan world, facing danger, persecution and death, were sustained, Luke tells us, by prayer, worship, fellowship, bread and cup.  The conditions do not seem very hospitable to church growth, yet day by day the Lord added to their number, Luke tells us, because of their faithful witness in response to the gifts of the Spirit.

Also, they trusted in the promise of Jesus which we heard in our Gospel reading of the morning.  Matthew concludes his Gospel with these words: "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them, when they saw him" -that is when they saw the risen Christ - "they worshiped him, but some doubted."  I love that verse - Matthew tells it exactly as it is - some worshiped and some doubted.  Now we are speaking of the eleven disciples.  Notice how Matthew tells us that Jesus appeared to both the worshipers and the doubters and promised: "Remember I am with you always to the end of the age."  Jesus' promise kept those first disciples going, helped them stick together during the next fifty days, till on the day of Pentecost they received the Gift of the Spirit.  Empowered by prayer and fellowship, bread and cup, trusting in the promise of Jesus to be with them always, those early Christians went out and turned the world upside down, boldly and bravely witnessing to the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now it is our turn!  What will be our witness as Christians and as citizens in this pivotal election year, at this crucial time in the history of our nation and of the world?  Where have all the Liberal, Progressive Republicans, Democrats, Independents gone?  It is interesting and perplexing that we live in a time when it is a liability to be known as a Liberal.  If you are seeking public office you do everything you can to avoid being labeled as a Liberal.  Yet as recently as the 1950s and 1960s, which some people persist in calling the "good old days," the disabled were ignored, women were kept in their place, usually the kitchen or the abortionist's back room, gays and lesbians were in hiding, little attention was paid to the health needs of the poor or the elderly, black Americans were forced to ride in the back of the bus, endangered species were at peril.

Look how far we have come in just over fifty years.  Thanks be to God!  But now time and again Liberalism is hesitant and afraid to speak its own name.  yet, our work is not done.  God calls us to witness bravely and boldly, to work for justice and peace, and to build communities of inclusivity.

In our nation today the rich get richer and the poor become poorer; the environment is threatened as it has not been for decades; poverty and hunger are realities for millions of people.  We are caught in a war which seemingly has no good end in sight.  It is heart-breaking to think that American troops have once again been put into such an untenable situation.  The national debt is spiraling out of control; the cost of Iraq is some 216 billion dollars, nearly double what the General Accounting Office once said was needed to repair the nation's schools.

The President as recently as last week continues to blame the prisoner abuse scandal on what he calls "a few American troops," when it is obvious there has been a breakdown in the highest level of structure of command, beginning with the decision to set aside the provisions of the Geneva Convention.  And as the war continues, and the above pictures become available, it reminds me of the old Marx Brothers joke:  "Who are you going to believe?  Me or your own eyes?"  It seems we have little choice but to face reality and believe our own eyes.  As the Editor of The Christian Century observed:  "We are reminded once again that war spreads not only death but moral corruption."

In this struggle for peace and justice we will be sustained, for equality for all, as were those first disciples, by the promise of Jesus to be with us always, and by prayer and fellowship, bread and cup.  Come to the table where Jesus Christ is host.  The gifts of God for the people of God.  Come, for all is ready.  Take, eat.  Take, drink.  Les the journey be too much for you.

In the spirit of our Risen and Reigning Lord.  Amen.
 

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