God.

It is the day of Pentecost on the calendar.

The day when we remember your Spirit coming into a room with the sound of a tornado, with the quiet explosion of flame.

In the aftermath there was proclamation and unity, story telling and community.
And then resistance from the outside and disagreement on the inside.
Even in the first months of the Church, we did not get along.

We still struggle.

In the name of your power, we build our petty kingdoms.
In the name of your community, we build walls.
In the name of faithful service to you, we subjugate others.

On this day, God, reaffirm your forgiveness, refresh our fellowship, reinvigorate our faithfulness.

And heal us. Not just each of us, but the us of us.

Through Christ our Lord, through the quiet power and presence of the Spirit.

Amen.