Sermon for Easter 2 - Narrative Lectionary 2
John Odegard, Minister for Discipleship and Faith Formation
Grace Lutheran Church, Mankato, MN
Acts 1:1-14
Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ, I am once again grateful for the chance to share the good news with you today.
Today, our focus scripture is from the book of Acts. The author of this book is the same who wrote the book of Luke and in our text today the author is bridging the gap between Jesus physical ministry here on earth, where He has shown us that He is the Savior, the Son of God Most High. He has performed miracles among us, He has been crucified, died for us and was buried. On the third day, He rose again. He appeared to many people, reached out His hands for Thomas to touch, and spoke with the disciples about the Kingdom of God. 40 days pass from His death until Jesus ascends into Heaven from Mount Olivet. The author is bridging the gap between the narrative of Jesus’ physical life on earth, and that of what Jesus did through Peter and the other apostles as they went out as witnesses to the gospel. This begins the new narrative of what Jesus did and continues to do, through the Holy Spirit and the church. While the book is called the Acts of the Apostles, it is really about what Jesus is doing in, with, and through them. Jesus ministry is not over when He ascends into Heaven, it just changes shape.
The 19th century preacher and writer Alexander MacLaren describes this change in a way that I can relate to, and I hope you can too. He said, “It is one thing to lay a foundation; it is another thing to build a house. And the work of laying the foundation must be finished before the work of building the structure upon it can be begun.”
So Jesus ascends into Heaven, but He doesn’t leave us; He is simply changing the nature of our relationship. Through this new relationship, Jesus invites us to know Him better. When He was among them, the Gospel points out that the Disciples were often confused by what He was saying to them and teaching them. It was only later that they fully understood the purpose of Jesus life and death. It was only after His ascension into Heaven that they realized that Jesus is King and the cross was His throne. It is because of the cross that Jesus is king of all. Jesus ascends into Heaven and gives us a deeper understanding of His ministry in the process. He sends us the Holy Spirit and all of the gifts that come with it and makes US His hands and feet here. He tells us by way of the disciples, that we will be His witnesses not only to the Jews, and not only to other believers, but to the very ends of the earth. Lo, and behold, here we are almost as far from Jerusalem as a person can get, more than 6,000 miles away acting as witness to the Gospel every day.
Whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not, as a Christian we are acting as witness to Jesus every day. Being a witness to Christ is not something we choose to do. It’s not something Jesus instructed us to do either. Look at the way He says it in our text today. Jesus said you WILL be my witness. And that’s true, isn’t it? Sure, sometimes we actively choose to intentionally share the Gospel. The rest of the time though? That’s our time off, right? I punch out when I leave church, when I’m out with friends, or at the gym, eating dinner with my family. Those times I’m off duty right? Just a regular guy.
Whether we like it or not, we ARE a witness to Christ all of the time. If you identify as a Christian, if you confess that Jesus is your Lord and Savior, whether you realize it or not we are His witness all of the time. In the very Lutheran idea of being a Sinner and Saint, we witness to Christ both through our brokenness and though the changes evident in our character because of Jesus. We are a witness to the fact that Jesus came and died for all of us, even us normal folk.
Everything we do defines what it means to be a Christian to our children, to our neighbors, and to the world.
As a parent, I’m constantly thinking about how to make sure my kids know Jesus. It always comes back to one thing though, no matter how many books you read on youth ministry or how many pastors you talk to, you will find that one thing makes a bigger impact on our kids than anything else. If I make my faith a priority, my kids will know it’s important to me. How you do that is open for discussion but when you treat something as important, people notice. It gets a little weight behind it. When we make an effort to focus our sights on what God is calling us to do, to serve Him and to serve others, we not only open ourselves up to Him, but we automatically demonstrate to others the importance of our faith not through words, but through actions.
When you, the members of Grace come down here and make food for the Tuesday lunch for a buck up at Crossroads, every month. When you are this consistent force for good in the eyes of those kids and adults who rely on that meal. When I hear through others that Grace is the church those kids recognize up there for everything you are doing, I am grateful that you are being a witness to the Gospel and its awesome power to make this world a little brighter. I am grateful for what Jesus is accomplishing through your hands in our kitchen.
When I hear about the time you spend volunteering at The Reach with homeless youth, and you invite others to get involved, you are really demonstrating that Jesus cares for and loves those who are lost. You are showing that everyone is important to Him, and that even the least of these are loved by Our Lord. I am grateful for what Jesus can do through your generous and loving hearts.
One of the things I am most proud of is the way the people of Grace bear witness to Christ as the one who welcomes all. The way that our congregation uses it’s building as a tool for the greater good, to be shared with all of God’s people is a remarkable demonstration of Jesus Christ welcoming all. Furthermore, you went out into the community to talk about ways our building could serve others even more as we look at a future building renovation. We aren’t just thinking of serving those already here in the church, we’re reaching out. We already have people in here multiple times every week, using our building for everything from weight-loss support to foster parenting classes. From the girl scouts to autism awareness groups. And still, we‘re reaching out to do more, and to give more of ourselves.
And then every Sunday and every Wednesday we proclaim that all are welcome to Christ’s table. We usually say this multiple times so that everyone knows, even if you have never been here before, you are welcome to Christ’s table here. I am in awe of what Jesus can do through a community of believers.
Sure, it can get messy sometimes (point to confetti) but living your faith and sharing it both through your words and actions is the only way for it to grow.
Remember, faith isn’t just supposed to happen in church. This message of the life changing love of Jesus Christ isn’t just for those who already belong.
In our companion text for today, in the Gospel of Mark, we hear of the Disciples being sent out into the world. He sends us out too. Even now we are sent out to be His hands and feet.
We all have doubts and fears. One of the most common fears I hear is that people don’t think they have what it takes to teach, that they aren’t a good enough Christian. The Disciples probably felt that way too, but still Jesus sends us out. Then He tells us not to bring any of the things we sometimes think are necessary. The things we think will give us the life that He wants for us. I will gladly tell you, Jesus told us it’s not money, or clothes, it isn’t food or the place we live that makes us able to be a witness to Him, it’s the Holy Spirit. He gives that to each of us, and He has already given us everything we need.
We can do it in joy or sorrow, when everything seems to be going well or through hard times. Every season of life has its opportunities. We can bear witness to Christ though our charity when we are doing well, and through our genuine vulnerability when we are not.
Jesus knows you and loves you. He wants you to have life abundant. He wants you to grow in faith and understanding. On Wednesday night I had you use a candle as we talked about sharing faith. I talked about how our faith is like a candle in the darkness. We can hold on tight when the power goes out and patiently wait it out, clinging to what we have. Or we can share it with our neighbor and watch as it grows.
That was close to what I meant, but then I came across a quote from novelist Edith Wharton that says what I believe is really happening when we live out our faith. She said,
“There are two ways of spreading light; to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
We are the mirror that reflects the grace of Our Lord. Go and reflect His light throughout the world… Amen.
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