I speak to you in the name of one God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Please be seated.
The great fifty days of Easter are almost over. And this time of year as we prepare
for Pentecost, we've heard now seven straight weeks of new life that permeates into the
lives of those who witness the resurrection. Those who follow Jesus and those who are then
commissioned to do great things as they go into the world. Their lives are changed. They
are transformed and we see growth throughout these Easter stories, throughout Eastertide.
These are people who have moved from fear into faith. Think of the story of St. Thomas,
for example. They are a people who move from uncertainty to trust, a joyful trust, like
the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Their eyes are open, their hearts are burning, new
things happen because of it. They are a people who go from asking timid questions to proclaiming
with boldness and courage. This is Peter and Stephen as they preach throughout the book
of Acts. All are then devoted to teaching and breaking bread and fellowship together.
These are terrific stories. It's the heart of the Easter narrative once we've heard the
resurrection story. But like all good things that begin with fervor and heart, they kind
of have to come back down to earth. In a way, things that start with much energy then become
normal. And that is very true for those Easter people. People who start with a great excitement
for it, but then realize there is a responsibility to new life. There are consequences to the
new life of Easter. A new life that has to be lived with ups and downs. Now the disciples
are the first to benefit from the idea of new life. And yet right away, as we enter
the book of Acts, we hear them ready for it to be over. The thing that has just started,
it's still Easter, they should be on fire for all of this. But it sounds like they just
want to fast forward to the end. Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom
to Israel? It doesn't sound like they are too enthused for their new life. They are
ready for it to be done. Just like he often does though, and now this is the last time
before the ascension, Jesus will help them pivot. He will help them understand they are
being called to something else and they can't be complacent about it. Jesus redirects their
passions. Instead of worrying about the future, he calls them to a very present moment. A
time in a ministry that foreshadows what will come next week at Pentecost. He gives them
power for the present time. And so in the last things that he will say before the ascension,
the result of that power is to be his witnesses. First in Jerusalem, then Judea and Samaria,
and then to the very ends of the earth. In this incredible moment following that speech,
Jesus is taken up into the clouds, the ascension happens, and for those who have been called
to a very earthly ministry, they are kind of stuck looking at heaven. And I would be
too. A miraculous, incredible thing has just happened, but thankfully the story reminds
them, why are you looking up? He's just called you here. It's a lesson for the church in
every age. We can be very infatuated with life and the world to come, and perhaps we
should be. It is something to look forward to. It is something we might hold on to in
the midst of our lives coming to their ends. But heaven can wait. Earth is here now. And
not just earth, but the kingdom of God is here now. Jesus calls them into something
new. New life that is here. New life that is now. It will take them some time to get
used to this. They have to hear the last of Jesus' words and take them seriously. It's
not for you to know the times that the Father has set by His own authority. As much as they
want to know what happens next, as much as they think they could use that now, instead
their call is different. To help the story unfold in real time. As much as we want to
move forward, there is a present time to be called into. Hence their prayers. The end
of that story says they are constantly praying. Maybe they are asking to figure out how to
do this. How to be witnesses of this Jesus who is now gone from their sight. They learn
pretty quickly though. They learn pretty quickly that there is no place on earth that they
shouldn't be witnesses to Jesus. They cannot take a day off of their relationship with
Him. Their identity is now set. They cannot forego their bond with this Jesus. Neither
can we. It's easy to do this on Sunday. It is hard to witness to Jesus every other day
of the week. So they have to figure it out. They have work to do. Because they will be
Christ's witnesses in all they do. Good things and challenging things. This is also true
for the church in every age. We will be Christ's witnesses when we disagree. We will be Christ's
witnesses if we face persecution. We will be Christ's witnesses when we are asked like
they to lead a fledgling church. We are Christ's witnesses when we live into an uncertain future.
An uncertain future that the earliest disciples, again, knew quite quickly what it would be
like. 1 Peter presents a really harrowing vision of it and yet writes about it positively.
About the suffering they will endure. About the hardship. About the devil that is prowling
like a roaring lion waiting to devour them. Why is this spoken of so positively? Is this
what they have been prepared for in their ministry? To jump immediately into a hard
time? Well, apparently yes. But the good news is that they are not suffering for the sake
of suffering. This new life that could lead them to the ultimate sense of new life which
is becoming more like their Lord. Which is becoming more Christ-like in the things that
He has asked them to do. Scars and all. I mean, we just sang it. Praise Him whose way
of pain you trod. That is the life we have signed up for. It's the life Jesus has asked
us to live. But it isn't only that. It is not only scars and suffering but the glory
of the ascension is now that Jesus has ascended above all things to fill all things. So now
you and I don't just have to be witnesses everywhere we go. We do. But our job should
be a little easier because Jesus is already there. You are now called to go out into the
world and help people recognize where Jesus is. Some of them don't know Him yet. They
might because of you. That's what it means to be a witness. Not to bash people over the
head with scripture. Not to get into their face to ask them to convert. But to tell the
story. The story that is continuing to unfold in your life and in the life of the whole
world and in all places. There is nowhere Jesus is not. Jesus now is present in all
places. In churches and in the Episcopal Sunday school room. In hostile takeovers and board
rooms. In frantic hospital settings. In vestry meetings and co-op gardens. In your successes
and your failures. Jesus is now present in all things. You and I have the holy and wonderful
responsibility to point it out to people. To show them. To know that it is happening
in your life and in mine and in the life of the whole world. New life is bearing witness
to the Jesus who is present in all things. So what will it be like for us? What will
it be like for you to seek him out? The one who is already present in your life. To show
him to others. How does that make us want to live? How will we live because of it? The
disciples had to grow into it. They had to figure it out. There were times when they
got it wrong. It will be true of us too. Keep going friends. Every day is an opportunity
to witness to this Jesus. To seek him out. To show him to others. To know him and to
make him known. New life has to be lived. In your life and in mine may we allow for
the story of Jesus and new life to permeate throughout our Easter reality. In joy and
in sorrow. In suffering and in ease. Heaven isn't going anywhere. We cannot fast forward
the story if we wanted to. Earth is plenty for now. For the sake of the new life of Easter
that you and I are called to, let's focus on earth. Let's focus on helping people see
the Jesus who fills all things to be witnesses to him in all that we do.