Loving God, your people continue to be witnesses of all that you have done and continue to do through Jesus Christ.  Teach us to trust in the power of your Holy Spirit, even as you continue to provide us with all that is needed for ministry; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    “You are witnesses of these things” (Lk. 24:48).  If I were to say to you today, “you are witnesses for Jesus Christ,” what would be the first thing that comes into your mind? [fear?  annoying people at your door?  Asking others, “are you saved”?  I could never do that?  a courtroom scene?] My suspicion is that most of us aren’t very comfortable with the idea.  We’re afraid of what people might think.  We’re afraid that we wouldn’t know what to say.  We’re afraid that we won’t know enough or have enough answers.

    However, once again, look at the disciples!  They are afraid.  Even though several people among them have already told them that Jesus has risen from the dead, they are afraid.  Even when Jesus is right there in front of them, showing them the scars on his hands and on his feet and inviting them to touch him, they are afraid.  They are full of joy and disbelief and wonder, and they have already forgotten all that Jesus told them about how he must suffer and die and then rise from the dead on the third day.

    And in the midst of their fear and disbelief and wonder, Jesus opens their minds to understand the Scriptures, and announces that they are witnesses of these things, and promises that they will be clothed with power from on high (Lk. 24:49).  This power from on high, of course, is the Holy Spirit, who does come to live within them and to give them the words to speak and the gifts that are needed in order to share God’s Word.  In fact, that’s exactly what is going on in today’s first reading that we heard from Acts (3:12-19), where Peter has just healed a crippled beggar and is speaking to the people about Jesus.  The Holy Spirit has come upon him, and now he is serving as a witness to all that he has heard and seen in Jesus.

    It is possible that this still sounds like a bit of a scary proposition to many of you.  Yet, did you know that you bear witness all the time to the things that are important to you?  For example, do you have any trouble talking to people about your favourite TV show or movie?  Those of you who are grandparents, do you have any trouble telling others about your grandchildren?  Do you have any trouble talking to others about your favourite hockey team (or football, or baseball, or curling)?  Do you have any trouble telling others about a great concert that you were just at?

    We bear witness all the time to things that are important to us.  So why wouldn’t we bear witness to all that God has done for us through Jesus Christ? [responses?]

    Think for just a moment about the most common use for the term “witness.”  Usually when we hear about a witness, it involves a courtroom scene and somebody who is being asked to testify about what they have heard and seen.  Witnesses are not asked to testify about what they don’t know, but about what they do know!  And so, imagine that you have been called to the stand to testify about where you have seen God at work.

    Have any of you ever seen God at work? [responses] Can any of you think of a particular time when you saw God at work - either in our world, or in your life, or in the life of another?  Would you be brave enough to share? [responses]

    For some of us, the challenge is probably to recognize God at work when we see it, and to be open to signs of God’s presence and power in our daily lives.  As I think of those times when I have seen God at work, there are probably too many to mention.  I have seen God provide the exact amount of cash that is needed in answer to prayer.  I have heard others’ experiences with angels and with miracles of healing and with signs of God’s presence.  I have seen God at work through caring people who minister to those who are lonely or sick or grieving.

    This week I saw God speaking to me and blessing me through the residents of Fred Douglas Lodge.  I told them that I wouldn’t see them for a few months, but I would be back with them again in September.  After the service, one after another they announced God’s blessing to me.  Nobody prompted them to do so.  They just did it.  And so, I experienced God’s presence through them, speaking words of blessing and of peace.

    Some of you may have seen the story in yesterday’s paper about Pastor Miller & his wife, Terry, and how he’s able to care for her at home through a pilot project in their part of the city.  It would be entirely possible to look at this story and not see God in it at all.  However, isn’t it likely that this has been an answer to prayer for both of them?  And so, this story could also be a sign of God at work.

    We are not asked to bear witness to things that we do not know and have not seen.  However, we are asked to be witnesses of what we have seen and experienced in Jesus Christ, and how we continue to see God at work in our world and in our lives.  The thing is, too, that just like the disciples, we are not asked to do this on our own.  God continues to pour out the Holy Spirit, who helps us to recognize God at work and to find the words to share this experience with others.  Thanks be to God - for Christ is still risen!  He is risen indeed!  Amen.

Easter 3(B)                                    Luke 24:36b-48
April 22, 2012                                Acts 3:12-19
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2012 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved