Dear Friends in Christ Jesus, our Risen and Reigning Savior,
A common cause brings people together. Think about that in connection with your family. A birthday party, a funeral, an anniversary, a family reunion create a gathering. Those celebrations bind us in unity with other family members. We are planning such a family get together this summer for my mother in law’s 90th birthday. Is a family reunion, perhaps with matching brightly colored t-shirts, on your calendar?
Think about that in connection with our faith family. What creates the gathering we call the church and binds us together in unity with brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ? What has created our gathering this morning? What unites our hearts apart from all our differences?
The answer to all those questions is the gospel. Peter used that means of graceon Pentecost, 10 days after the risen Lord had ascended into heaven with his promise to return. Jesus died but rose again as both Lord and Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Peter offered his hearers this gospel in Word and sacrament, as do we. The results are this, The Church Expands and Enjoys the Blessing of Unity. Word and sacrament create the expansion. Word and sacrament bind the community together.
Having received the gift of the Holy Spirit,St. Peter went right to work. Last week’s first lesson from Acts 2 ended with Peter’s words, “God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of the fact.” Peter’s statement sets the stage for the “Therefore” that begins this section. Jesus’ resurrection means the Father has exalted him as both Lord and Christ.
The apostle spoke plainly in accusing the unbelievers in the crowd of being responsible for Jesus’ death, “This Jesus, whom you crucified.” This stinging rebuke “cut to the heart.” We use that expression when someone rebukes us. We say, “That cuts me to the heart, that stings.”
The Holy Spirit uses the law to bring us to godly contrition. The crowd expressed this contrition to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter had preached the law to prepare their hearts for the gospel in Word. This Word expanded the church through Peter’s invitation, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you for the forgiveness of your sins.”
Luke tells us that those who welcomed Peter’s message by the Holy Spirit’s working were baptized. God’s promise in the means of grace, the gospel in Word and sacrament, was for the adults and for their children. In one great miraculous action of the Spirit’s power in the means of grace, “about three thousand were added to their number that day.”
Some call this event the birth of the New Testament Church. Others think of it more as a sudden growth spurt. Either way is fine. What matters is the church expands. Word and sacrament create the expansion.
Nothing has changed. The Holy Spirit continues to expand the church through the gospel in Word and sacrament. Like the invitation to any family gathering, the gospel calls those cut to the heart by their sin and guilt to come and enjoy the forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ. Come and be part of the family of Christ.
This promise is for adults and for children. The invitation of the gospel is power of God for salvation as it conveys the very welcome of that forgiveness the gospel offers. “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the Word of Christ.” [Romans 10:17] Our mission and purpose as witnesses with Peter of Christ’s resurrection is to echo his message, “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins.”Word and sacrament create the expansion we desire and God promises.
The Word and sacrament also bind the community together as we see in the expanded church of the first days following Pentecost. Remember that the early church in Jerusalem, much like ours, was a melting pot of believing Jews and Gentiles from different countries. Different languages, different customs but now they were together in the church.
Where would they find unity and a sense of community? What would bind them together? They found unity in the Word and sacrament in worship. The faith and love the gospel worked led to unity in prayer, and in fellowship, and in common concern and charity for one another.
The new believers made a regular practice of, “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” They witnessed God doing miracles through the disciples. “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” They were not communists who did not hold private property like in a commune. In their hearts they were committed to doing what was necessary for the welfare of others even to selling their possessions and goods to help those in need.
The believers were united in public worship in the temple courts.They met together in their homes for the breaking of bread; a term used to describe Holy Communion, but also included the fellowship meals they enjoyed together. They were together “with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.” The believers love for each other and joy in Christ radiated out into Jerusalem. At this time, the church enjoyed a time of peace and unity that sadly would end in relatively few years. The growth continued as “the Lord added to their number those who were being saved”, literally, the saved, or believers.
What unites us and binds us together as members of Bethlehem congregation? Word and sacrament bind the community together. We continue in the apostles’ doctrine and in Lord’s Supper. We worship publicly and privately our Savior whom we crucified with our sins and believe by the gospel’s power. We are devoted to prayer and to fellowship and to charity toward those in need.
We are a family in Christ. The invitation of the gospel of our Savior’s cross, empty tomb, and rule as Lord and Christ creates our family and binds us together in contrast to our differences. The Word and sacrament bring us together and bind us for the celebration of the Feast of Victory for our King.