3rd Sunday of Easter
April 15, 2018
1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48
Witness
You
may have noticed that this week’s post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to the
disciples begins in a similar way to last week’s. Jesus shows up, and the first
words out of his mouth are, “Peace be with you.” Jesus keeps popping up,
startling his disciples, and so the first thing he has to do is keep the peace
and calm them down. Jesus begins with peace, both in the upper room and here as
well. Then, it says “Jesus opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”
Jesus effectively did this last week, too, although a little more hands-on as
he invited Thomas to touch the nail marks in his hands and put his hand in his
side. That was just another way of understanding the Scriptures, as Jesus had
told them that these things, his death and resurrection, all happened to
fulfill the law and the prophets. And once the disciples receive his peace and
come to a new understanding of Scripture, or in other words, once they’re set
free from bonds of fear and death, then Jesus commissions them to become witnesses.[1]
Jesus says, “Repentance for the
forgiveness of sins will be preached in [my] name to all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”[2]
You are witnesses of these things.
This
is not the only place in Scripture where those who follow Jesus are called
witnesses. Paul writes to the Thessalonians that they are witnesses, and so is
God, of his witness to them.[3]
Telling the reader “you are witnesses” happens not only in the New Testament
but even in the Old Testament, which, we know is the Law and the Prophets that
Jesus fulfills. God calls us his
witnesses through the prophet Isaiah, chapters 43 and 44, which are some of my
favorite passages in Scripture. “’You
are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, so
that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god
was formed, nor will there be one after me. I, even I, am the Lord, and apart
from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed — I,
and not some foreign god among you. You
are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that
I am God.”[4] We are God’s witnesses. We witness that
God alone is God. We witness that there is no savior outside of Jesus Christ.
We witness that God’s Spirit still moves in and through us today. We are witnesses for God.
Now,
a few words about witnesses, in case you haven’t been in a courtroom or watched
one of the many legal dramas on TV. First, the witness’s role is different from
anyone else in the courtroom. A witness is not a judge or the jury, whose job
is to hand out judgment. Scripture says “judgment belongs to God.”[5]
That is not our responsibility as witnesses. Furthermore, we are not the
lawyer, trying to argue the case and find loopholes in the law. Have you ever
successfully argued someone into going to church with you? No. You witness,
saying, “Here’s what God is doing in my church.” And you invite, “Come be part
of it.” The God who says, “Peace be with you,” doesn’t need or want people arguing for him. He says we’re to witness for him; not be his lawyer. God
doesn’t need a lawyer. Instead, next month we’ll celebrate Pentecost, the
coming of the Holy Spirit, whose names include advocate and counselor. We need the help and the advice; God does not. One more thing about who
we’re not. In 1 John we read that we are “children of God.” We are God’s children, as in he is the parent. We are
the ones who are learning and growing. Moreover, we are not God’s
grandchildren. God isn’t going to spoil us or fill us with sugar and then send
us home. We are already home when we are with God. Neither are we God’s
parents. We’re not in charge of God, we’re not responsible for making sure God
eats three square meals a day. We’re responsible for ourselves and our actions.
We’re God’s children, and God’s
witnesses. We’re not the lawyer, or the judge, or the jury, or even the
observers or court reporters. We’re not the parents or the grandchildren. We’re
God’s children, and we’re his witnesses.
As
witnesses, we share what we know. We share what we have seen. This means we
have to be credible. It means we have to have some kind of relationship with
God in order to be able to give a witness about him. And, we have to have some
kind of relationship with the person with whom we’re witnessing. They have to
trust us that what we’re saying is true. This means that we are not false, or
unreliable, or cruel, or misleading. It means that we do not have our own
agenda when we share the Good News of Jesus Christ. The only agenda is God’s,
and here in Luke’s Gospel, he says we’re to preach repentance for the
forgiveness of sins. We’re to preach that new life is possible. We’re to preach
resurrection. And, remembering what St. Francis supposedly said, this isn’t all
through speaking. St. Francis said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If
necessary, use words.” We’re not just to preach resurrection, we’re to live resurrection. For some people, our
lives are the only bible they are ever going to read. So make sure your
witness, your life, is true, reliable, and full of mercy. When someone asks
you, why do you believe what you believe, make sure your answer is ready. If
you pause and say, “uhhhh….,” and never give a straight answer, you are not
being a good witness for God.
So,
a related question, what kinds of experiences and understandings do we need so that
we can be credible witnesses to God?[6]
Well, I get emails from our denomination’s Discipleship Ministries and this
past week’s was titled, “It Takes Two.” Rev. Junius Dotson, the General Secretary
of Discipleship wrote, “Discipleship has two parts: personal and corporate.
Now, either one on its own is important and a good thing. But if you do your
discipleship on your own, without being in relationship with other people, it
will be ineffective. Likewise, if you only do your discipleship building within
a group setting and never develop personal relationships, it will also be
ineffective.”[7]
This means you should read the Bible on your own and be part of a bible study.
This means you pray by yourself and you pray here in worship. It means you,
personally, have a relationship with God and we, as the church, Christ’s body,
have a relationship with God. That’s what makes all of us, individually and
corporately as the church, a good witness for God.
Finally,
what do we witness to? Last week we were witnesses of joy and humor,
remembering that those are things that attract and welcome. Jesus says we’re to
witness to forgiveness. Some people just need to hear, “God forgives you and
offers you a new life where this past sin is no longer remembered.” I already
mentioned that we’re to witness to the power of resurrection. The power of
resurrection is the power to plant seeds of transformation, which we may or may
not see grow.[8] I know we have many farmers and gardeners and
landscapers among us, yet in God’s kingdom sometimes our job is just to plant.
Sometimes our job is just to water. Sometimes our job is to reap the harvest of
what we did not sow or tend. We don’t always get to see all the stages and yet
we trust God is at work in all of them, whether we get to see each stage or
not.
We
witness to life in Christ, the life that makes itself known by its fruits. You
can live according to your own desires, however you want, which will lead to
immorality, corruption, idolatry, hate, fighting, obsession, losing your temper,
unhealthy conflict, selfishness, rivalry, jealousy.[9]
Or, you can live according to the Spirit, and others will see in you, see your
witness, to love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.[10]
We declare the presence and power of God in all seasons of life, whether in the
midst of tragedy, despair and death, or in the midst of joy, celebration, and
life. We witness to Christ’s presence here among us through what we say and
what we do. In the Book of Common Prayer, the standard prayer of confession
begins, “Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against you in
thought, word, and deed, by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.”[11]
In thought and word and deed we are witnesses. We witness to the God of truth, of
justice, of peace, the God of love. And this God commissions us to be witnesses to the love that
brought Jesus back from the dead and heals the sick, to resurrection, to new
life.[12]
After all, God’s purposes in the world are to redeem creation and to redeem us.
That’s what we witness to.
And
the only security in this witness is the security of eternal life. We don’t
receive security, Jesus doesn’t offer that. He offers peace. In the Gospel of
John, Jesus tells his disciples, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.”[13]
Witnessing is often a great risk. You may or may not have a sympathetic
audience. You can’t control how someone else will respond to you. You can only
control you. That’s why Jesus’ peace is the peace that surpasses all
understanding and guards your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.[14]
Living your life faithfully, in peace, and with joy and love and kindness is
your witness to God and his joy and love and peace. Thanks be to God.
[1] Feasting on the Word, Year B, Volume 2,
p. 426
[2]
Luke 24:47-48
[3] 1
Thessalonians 2:10, my paraphrase
[4]
Isaiah 43:10-12, emphasis mine
[5]
Deuteronomy 1:17
[6] Feasting on the Word, p. 429
[7]
Email, #seeallthepeople, April 12, 2018
[8] Feasting on the Word, p. 426
[9]
Galatians 5:19-21
[10]
Galatians 5:22-23
[11]
BCP, p. 360
[12] Preaching God’s Transforming Justice, Year
B, p. 210
[13]
John 14:27
[14]
Philippians 4:7
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