A Witness

          What is a “witness” and why are witnesses so important? Peter, when he was meeting with the other disciples, said they needed to choose someone to replace Judas who had been with them the whole time Jesus was with them beginning with John the Baptist clear up to the time of his ascension…” For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection.”

          A witness, according to the dictionary, is… “one who can give a firsthand account of something seen, heard, or experienced.” So, this one the disciples chose was one who had travelled with them from the very beginning. Someone who had seen the miracles Jesus did, heard the parables he told, and listened as he told them about his death and resurrection. This one they chose was there on the beach at Galilee when he prepared a meal of fish for them. He was there when he appeared to them in the upper room and showed them his hands and his side. This one witnessed his ascension into the clouds. And why was this so important?

          Think about it for a minute. Who would you believe someone who had witnessed every event in Jesus’ life firsthand or someone who’d heard about Jesus from someone who may have also heard about him from someone else who may have heard about him from one of the disciples? I’d be more apt to believe the one who had actually been there, wouldn’t you? That may have been the reason the church grew so rapidly in the beginning. Because everyone who spoke experienced Jesus’ life firsthand and they were believable.

          But, you’re saying, the disciples didn’t live forever and we don’t have any of the original disciples to corroborate the words read and preached to us today.  And you’d be absolutely right. So, how can we be certain that the testimony we hear every Sunday is true? Who is the credible witness we can rely now that the disciples aren’t with us anymore?

          What do you think? Who do we listen to today? John says in his epistle, the passage we heard read today, that…“God’s testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. ¹⁰ Whoever believes in the Son of God accepts this testimony.”  If we willingly accept human testimony doesn’t it make sense that God’s words are even more credible, even more believable? So, I would tell you that the witness we listen to today is God.

          Now you may ask how can God be a witness, how can he testify that Jesus is His Son, the Christ? I believe that God witnesses to Jesus through the Bible, His word to us. John said that he wrote his epistle…“to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” He knew that the original witnesses wouldn’t be here for everyone to hear so the only way they would come to know Jesus and his gospel was through the spoken and written word of God.

          So, even though we who read and proclaim the word of God and give our testimony are imperfect and sinful people, God witnesses to those who listen through the Holy Spirit who is at work in those giving their testimony.  

          Now it’s up to us who aren’t firsthand witnesses of Jesus and his life to tell the story of God’s love for the world and to keep his commandment to love one another. The question we have to ask ourselves is…how are we doing?

          Today we are called to be witnesses for Jesus Christ to the world, to our sisters and brothers who haven’t heard the testimony of Jesus’ disciples. And we can’t use the excuse that we’ve done our part and now others should take over. Nope, there is no early retirement for those who are called to be witnesses.

          My challenge for all of us is to focus this week on being witnesses for Jesus as we live our lives this week at work and at our leisure.  Every person we meet is an opportunity for us to tell the story of Jesus, to witness to them about what He means in our lives. And if you need help know that everyone here today would be glad to back you up and tell their story along side yours. Remember none of us are in this alone.

          Good friends, we are all called to be ministers to God’s children and witnesses to our faith in Jesus Christ.  Go out into the world this week filled with the power of the Holy Spirit and tell your story.

          Thanks be to God for his loving, empowering grace. Amen.

Conquering the World

          Do you believe everything you that people say?  When someone swears that what they are about to speak is the truth do you believe it?

          Everything you’ve ever heard about Jesus, is it true? What do you believe about Jesus? God says that Jesus is his Son. Do we believe it?

          In John’s epistle he says that if we take human testimony at its face value then how much more reassured we should be when God gives testimony that Jesus is his Son. Surely we’re more apt to trust what God says than in what any person would say, even if they swore on everything that’s holy.

          God’s testimony is that he gave us eternal life, life in his Son. So, whoever has the Son has life; whoever rejects the Son, rejects life.

          If we believe that Jesus is God’s Son John says we can conquer the world and have eternal life. That would make us champions, right? Whoever is born of God conquers the world! Those who are conquerors are champions, right? How can we become conquerors? How can we be champions? How do we defeat the world?

          John doesn’t give specific details so that means we have to look to the One who came to be an example for us, Jesus. What did he do?

          If we go to the gospels and read what Jesus did we discover that he wasn’t concerned with what the world had to say about status or reputations or prejudices. He rose about the words and thoughts of the world. Jesus was concerned with only one thing and that was to do the right thing no matter the consequences.

          Friends, does that look like a champion? Maybe not in the world’s eyes but that kind of behavior is capable of conquering the world by helping one person at a time.

          Granted we aren’t Jesus, but friends, God created us in his image a little lower than the angels. I believe if God made us in his image and if we are just a little lower than the angels then we should have the ability to make a real difference in this world.

          I can already hear the “buts”. But I’m too old. But I don’t have the money to help. But I’m not physically able to help anymore. But I’m not smart enough. But I’m afraid. But they’ll make fun of me.

          Friends, Jesus, even though he was divine, helped many folks by doing ordinary things. He sat and listened to people talk. He invited the community to come and listen as he taught. He fed the crowd fishes and loaves, with a little help from his friends. Yes, he made blind people see, crippled people walk, cleansed lepers, and forgave those others wanted to stone to death. It was surely with God’s help but remember Paul and Peter did some of these things too. Jesus wasn’t physically with them when they did them. It was God who provided the power to heal.

          Jesus told his disciples that they would do even greater things than what they had seen him do. And they did. So, what makes us think that we can’t heal illnesses, cure diseases, help crippled people walk or forgive those the world has discarded as unworthy?

          What did Jesus say? He said something about faith as small as a mustard seed being able to accomplish great things. Look back at what Schweitzer did; look at what Mother Teresa accomplished in India. Neither one of these people were super humans. They were plain ordinary people like you and me and yet they worked tirelessly to make the world a better place. And they didn’t pay any attention to what was printed about them in the press or said on the radio or the television. They trusted in God and His Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.

          So, good friends, what I’m trying to say is we can be conquerors too. We can be champions who defeat the world. And when we do we too can be filled with the joy Jesus talked about in John’s gospel God’s joy will be our joy.

          One of the secrets to being able to do all this is to do it by loving people in the same way we wish to be loved.

          Now, we all know it’s not easy to do any of this. In fact it’s a struggle to try to live and love like Jesus. But as a community of sisters and brothers working together, supporting each other the world can be conquered. The unloved, discarded people in our communities can be saved and made whole.

          Friends, remember we aren’t in this work alone. God is beside us and within us as we do this work he has blessed us with. Thanks be to God for his grace. Amen.