WEBVTT

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I speak to you in the name of one God, Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated.

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The great fifty days of Easter are almost
over. And this time of year as we prepare

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for Pentecost, we've heard now seven straight
weeks of new life that permeates into the

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lives of those who witness the resurrection.
Those who follow Jesus and those who are
then

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commissioned to do great things as they go
into the world. Their lives are changed. They

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are transformed and we see growth throughout
these Easter stories, throughout Eastertide.

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These are people who have moved from fear
into faith. Think of the story of St. Thomas,

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for example. They are a people who move from
uncertainty to trust, a joyful trust, like

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the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Their
eyes are open, their hearts are burning, new

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things happen because of it. They are a people
who go from asking timid questions to proclaiming

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with boldness and courage. This is Peter and
Stephen as they preach throughout the book

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of Acts. All are then devoted to teaching
and breaking bread and fellowship together.

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These are terrific stories. It's the heart
of the Easter narrative once we've heard the

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resurrection story. But like all good things
that begin with fervor and heart, they kind

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of have to come back down to earth. In a way,
things that start with much energy then become

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normal. And that is very true for those Easter
people. People who start with a great excitement

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for it, but then realize there is a responsibility
to new life. There are consequences to the

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new life of Easter. A new life that has to
be lived with ups and downs. Now the disciples

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are the first to benefit from the idea of
new life. And yet right away, as we enter

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the book of Acts, we hear them ready for it
to be over. The thing that has just started,

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it's still Easter, they should be on fire
for all of this. But it sounds like they just

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want to fast forward to the end. Lord, is
this the time when you will restore the kingdom

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to Israel? It doesn't sound like they are
too enthused for their new life. They are

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ready for it to be done. Just like he often
does though, and now this is the last time

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before the ascension, Jesus will help them
pivot. He will help them understand they are

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being called to something else and they can't
be complacent about it. Jesus redirects their

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passions. Instead of worrying about the future,
he calls them to a very present moment. A

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time in a ministry that foreshadows what will
come next week at Pentecost. He gives them

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power for the present time. And so in the
last things that he will say before the ascension,

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the result of that power is to be his witnesses.
First in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria,

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and then to the very ends of the earth. In
this incredible moment following that speech,

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Jesus is taken up into the clouds, the ascension
happens, and for those who have been called

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to a very earthly ministry, they are kind
of stuck looking at heaven. And I would be

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too. A miraculous, incredible thing has just
happened, but thankfully the story reminds

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them, why are you looking up? He's just called
you here. It's a lesson for the church in

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every age. We can be very infatuated with
life and the world to come, and perhaps we

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should be. It is something to look forward
to. It is something we might hold on to in

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the midst of our lives coming to their ends.
But heaven can wait. Earth is here now. And

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not just earth, but the kingdom of God is
here now. Jesus calls them into something

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new. New life that is here. New life that
is now. It will take them some time to get

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used to this. They have to hear the last of
Jesus' words and take them seriously. It's

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not for you to know the times that the Father
has set by His own authority. As much as they

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want to know what happens next, as much as
they think they could use that now, instead

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their call is different. To help the story
unfold in real time. As much as we want to

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move forward, there is a present time to be
called into. Hence their prayers. The end

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of that story says they are constantly praying.
Maybe they are asking to figure out how to

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do this. How to be witnesses of this Jesus
who is now gone from their sight. They learn

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pretty quickly though. They learn pretty quickly
that there is no place on earth that they

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shouldn't be witnesses to Jesus. They cannot
take a day off of their relationship with

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Him. Their identity is now set. They cannot
forego their bond with this Jesus. Neither

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can we. It's easy to do this on Sunday. It
is hard to witness to Jesus every other day

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of the week. So they have to figure it out.
They have work to do. Because they will be

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Christ's witnesses in all they do. Good things
and challenging things. This is also true

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for the church in every age. We will be Christ's
witnesses when we disagree. We will be Christ's

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witnesses if we face persecution. We will
be Christ's witnesses when we are asked like

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they to lead a fledgling church. We are Christ's
witnesses when we live into an uncertain future.

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An uncertain future that the earliest disciples,
again, knew quite quickly what it would be

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like. 1 Peter presents a really harrowing
vision of it and yet writes about it positively.

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About the suffering they will endure. About
the hardship. About the devil that is prowling

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like a roaring lion waiting to devour them.
Why is this spoken of so positively? Is this

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what they have been prepared for in their
ministry? To jump immediately into a hard

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time? Well, apparently yes. But the good news
is that they are not suffering for the sake

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of suffering. This new life that could lead
them to the ultimate sense of new life which

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is becoming more like their Lord. Which is
becoming more Christ-like in the things that

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He has asked them to do. Scars and all. I
mean, we just sang it. Praise Him whose way

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of pain you trod. That is the life we have
signed up for. It's the life Jesus has asked

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us to live. But it isn't only that. It is
not only scars and suffering but the glory

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of the ascension is now that Jesus has ascended
above all things to fill all things. So now

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you and I don't just have to be witnesses
everywhere we go. We do. But our job should

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be a little easier because Jesus is already
there. You are now called to go out into the

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world and help people recognize where Jesus
is. Some of them don't know Him yet. They

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might because of you. That's what it means
to be a witness. Not to bash people over the

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head with scripture. Not to get into their
face to ask them to convert. But to tell the

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story. The story that is continuing to unfold
in your life and in the life of the whole

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world and in all places. There is nowhere
Jesus is not. Jesus now is present in all

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places. In churches and in the Episcopal Sunday
school room. In hostile takeovers and board

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rooms. In frantic hospital settings. In vestry
meetings and co-op gardens. In your successes

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and your failures. Jesus is now present in
all things. You and I have the holy and wonderful

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responsibility to point it out to people.
To show them. To know that it is happening

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in your life and in mine and in the life of
the whole world. New life is bearing witness

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to the Jesus who is present in all things.
So what will it be like for us? What will

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it be like for you to seek him out? The one
who is already present in your life. To show

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him to others. How does that make us want
to live? How will we live because of it? The

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disciples had to grow into it. They had to
figure it out. There were times when they

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got it wrong. It will be true of us too. Keep
going friends. Every day is an opportunity

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to witness to this Jesus. To seek him out.
To show him to others. To know him and to

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make him known. New life has to be lived.
In your life and in mine may we allow for

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the story of Jesus and new life to permeate
throughout our Easter reality. In joy and

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in sorrow. In suffering and in ease. Heaven
isn't going anywhere. We cannot fast forward

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the story if we wanted to. Earth is plenty
for now. For the sake of the new life of Easter

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that you and I are called to, let's focus
on earth. Let's focus on helping people see

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the Jesus who fills all things to be witnesses
to him in all that we do.