ACTS 1:1-14

PSALM 68:1-20

1 PETER 4:12-19

JOHN 17:1-11

Sermon – 5/12/02

“`You will be my witnesses’”

Jesus said to the apostles, “`You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.’”

And you thought Christ’s resurrection was a miracle! Jesus was talking to eleven guys, one of whom had denied he even knew Jesus just six weeks before these final words of Jesus before he ascended into heaven, and nine of the other ten of whom had been totally scarce, not even daring to show up to bury Jesus. These “scaredy-cats” were going to be Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem—in front of the same Temple Police and blood-thirsty Roman soldiers who had, respectively, arrested and executed their Lord?! That would take an act of God!

Ten days after the incident narrated in today’s reading, there was an act of God—a real one, not the kind insurance companies talk about.

The Act of God was called The Day of Pentecost, when God the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ followers and empowered them indeed to witness “about God’s deeds of power.”

The world had not changed—it was still as dangerous as it had been on Good Friday. But they had changed. No longer scared of their own shadows—or of being associated with a man who had been executed by the Roman Empire on charges of being a subversive—the disciples, led by Peter (the one who had denied he knew Christ), proclaimed boldly that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior, that he had died at the hands of the Empire, that God had raised him up from death to new life, and that through him forgiveness of sins and the strength and guidance of the Holy Spirit could come to any who repented and were baptized in his name.

Jesus’ followers could say this because they knew it themselves: they had themselves experienced forgiveness of their sins, they knew Jesus was alive and his new life was more powerful than any horror that the world could throw at him, and they knew that the Holy Spirit had filled them with strength, meaning and purpose to share the Good News of Christ’s triumph with others. Through Christ, others too could know they would not have to be welded to their own sins throughout eternity, others too would share the Holy Spirit’s guidance and strength to face the challenges of daily life, others too would live—and face death—with hope for new and better life beyond this life.

Such great Good News—proclaimed boldly by ordinary people with extraordinary conviction and joy, and with a clear invitation to join them in experiencing freedom, joy and hope—got an immediate response. Three thousand people were baptized that first day, and with them another part of the Good News of the Christian faith began to be realized: an inclusive, joyful, dedicated community of faith, living the faith.

This community, in turn, also became contagious. And the apostles and their fellow disciples were indeed Jesus’ witnesses in Jerusalem, and in Judea (the area around Jerusalem) and in Samaria (just north of Jerusalem).

Before the Day of Pentecost, there were 120 believers in Jesus in the whole world. By the time the words of the Acts of the Apostles were written down about 40 years after the time the events described in the book began, there were rapidly growing Christian communities all around the rim of the Mediterranean Sea, touching parts of Africa, Asia and Europe.

But Jesus had promised more even than that. He said his followers would be his witnesses “to the ends of the earth.” And so it has come to pass: the Good News of new life in Christ (right here and now, and for the very long-term future) has been translated into over 100 languages and taken to every continent, and is most convincingly and appropriately presented when the people sharing their faith find strength and meaning for their daily lives from their faith and live their faith by how they treat others and how they participate in a faith community.

Otherwise, such sharing would sound bogus, like someone “pitching” a product they would never dream of using themselves. People, on the other hand, who do draw meaning and strength from their faith, try to treat others as they would want to be treated, and participate in a faith community, can be wonderfully contagious. And they—we—need to be, because there are millions of people who have faith but are seeking deeper faith, more understanding of the Bible, more guidance and prayer for daily life, and a community in which one can share hopes, doubts and concerns as well as abilities and gifts.

According to Church traditions, some of the apostles traveled far—Peter and Paul to Rome, Andrew to southern Ukraine, Thomas to India—but none of them made it to Central New Jersey.

But we did.

Guess what, folks: When Jesus, standing on the outskirts of Jerusalem, said, “You shall be my witnesses to the ends of the earth,” one of the places he had in mind was here.

If you asked an American long-time church-goer where “the mission field” was or where the Church “sends missionaries”, such a person would probably name some location thousands of miles from here.

Wrong.

Yes, there are Christian missionaries all over the world—but the prime area needing to be reached out to with the Good News of Jesus Christ by people who live in Central New Jersey is-—Central New Jersey.

That is because, despite the religious atmosphere of America, the deference to religious sensibilities in some aspects of our public life, and the relatively high profile of organized religion in America (as compared to other developed nations), there are millions and millions of people in America who do not (yet) have a deep faith which sustains them in the hardest times and empowers them in all other times, or a hope for new life beyond this life thanks to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, or the experience of a loving faith community of imperfect but kind and caring people who would eagerly invite them to join them in ministering to a broken and suffering world.

This is what we, here have to offer—and we are derelict in our duty to Our Lord Jesus Christ if we do not offer it to others, especially fellow Christians who are not both active and happy members of a church, and people who have no faith of any kind.

Those are some of the people I call “secular” people, and some are “unchurched” people. Some “unchurched” people are, in fact, baptized—but they may not know what it means to be baptized, or have not been mentored by someone who does, or they may have been discouraged by a previous church experience. Whatever, an “unchurched” person is someone who is not active in a church—and some people who are active may have never integrated their faith with their life so as to become true disciples of Jesus.

Hamilton Beazley, the lay person I referred to in my article in our May newsletter, and the Rt. Rev. Claude E. Payne, Bishop of Texas, co-authored a book called Re-claiming the Great Commission—Jesus’ commission to his followers to, yes, convert more people to be his followers. Beazley and Payne write, “Secular people face a frightening world without the assurance of the love of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, the support of divine strength, or the promise of new and abundant life amid the chaos and suffering. In their spiritual isolation, they lead lonely and often desperate lives. Their suffering is a call to the Church. They are not to be judged, but to be reached.”

If the world was frightening and offered chaos and suffering two years ago when those words were written, it is more that way since September 11^th. If we do not share the love that is in our hearts and the faith that is in our minds with those who have no nourishing spiritual community, we had better think hard of how we will answer our Lord Jesus Christ when he asks us, “Why didn’t you reach out to people?”

Now, I’m not expecting any of us to be the next St. Peter or St. Paul—although God only knows what impact any of us will make in our lifetimes! We can continue to do what we’re doing, and simply take it a step further. First, let us recognize that we, here, are in the middle of “a mission field”. In fact, every place outside of heaven is a mission field, for we pray that God’s will will be done on earth as it is in heaven—meaning that it is not yet done fully, all the time, here on earth. So it’s up to us to do our part to learn and do God’s will here.

Second, every Christian is a missionary! Again, that doesn’t mean we all have to travel thousands of miles—or stand on street corners and hand out pamphlets—but we do represent Christ wherever we go. Imagine if you were the only Christian any of your friends, neighbors, co-workers or acquaintances knew. What would they learn about God from your behavior—and your words? Would Jesus be proud of you? People do learn something from us—whether it’s what we want them to learn or not.

Third, start with those closest to you in trying to be a Christian example, in word and deed. Today is Mother’s Day; it’s never too early to start nurturing someone in the faith—(that’s why I’ll give Kene a “toddler’s Bible” today after his baptism)—and it’s never too late to reach out to someone, no matter what the person’s age.

Fourth, everyone can be part of the welcoming community here at St. Barnabas. If you’re passing the Peace with someone you don’t know, introduce yourself. Likewise at coffee hour or after a service, introduce yourself, saying, if you like, “I don’t remember your name” or “I don’t believe we’ve met.” That may be because the other person is visiting, or new—in which case they may tell you so, and you can welcome them and/or say, “I’m glad you’re here.” Newcomers consistently report what a difference that can make: all of us can be part of making that difference simply and easily.

Fifth, invite someone to come with you to church! Perhaps someone you know in the neighborhood or through Scouts or sports or who knows! Just a simple invitation. People sometimes have all kinds of negative fantasies in their minds about church, while they want at the same time to be closer to God. A personal invitation could help “tip the scales” towards their actually crossing the threshold.

And finally, let us all remember that it’s not just about this church community for it own sake. The “frightening world” filled with “chaos and suffering” is the one we are called to reach out to in Christ’s Name with love and strength. Today’s special Mother’s Day ingathering for victims of domestic violence is just one example of our mission to the world, a mission that will never end until the Lord returns and ends both the chaos and the suffering.

Until then, we are called to be Christ’s witnesses, “to the ends of the earth”—even to Central New Jersey!

(The Rev.) Francis A. Hubbard

St. Barnabas Episcopal Church