Sermon:(Re)CreatingChurch: Being Witnesses
April 19th, 2020 Rev. Betsy Perkins
Scripture passage: Acts 1:1-14 First Baptist Church, Delavan WI
The Book of Acts is volume two of a two-part story. The Gospel of Luke is volume one; Acts is volume two. We are tempted to think of them as two different stories – the story of Jesus and the story of what happened after Jesus. But Luke makes it clear as he begins volume two that this is a continuation of one single story. In the first book he wrote about everything Jesus began to do and teach before he was taken up to heaven. And though he doesn’t state it explicitly, what is implied is that he is now writing about what Jesus continued to do and teach after his ascension, through the Holy Spirit. Luke wants us to recognize that this is one continuous story of God at Work in the world.
This year I have been struck by similarities between the events taking place in the days after Jesus’ resurrection for the first disciples, and the events taking place today. They were under shelter-in-place orders. Did you notice that? Jesus commanded that they not to leave Jerusalem. Apparently they are allowed out to gofor a short walk with Jesus – about a half-mile east to the Mount of Olives, but they return directly to the upstairs room where they are hunkered down.
The disciples ask Jesus a question that is not unlike what many of us are asking. They ask, “Is this the time you’re going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” Aren’t we wondering when our nation will be restored? When will things get back how they should be? Or is this the time Jesus is coming again? Did you hear Jesus’ answer? “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.” I think Jesus is hinting that they are asking the wrong question – it’s not ‘when will all this be over?’ They question is ‘what are we to do in the meantime?’ They are to wait till it’s time to witness.
They should wait for two things to happen. First, for Jesus to return to the Father; and second, once Jesus ascends, for the Holy Spirit to be given fully.On Wednesday in our Bible Study over zoom, as we read the stories of Jesus’ resurrection appearances from John 20, we noticed that after Jesus was raised from the dead, he first goes to tend to his traumatized disciples. Comforting them, reassuring them, connecting with them was Jesus’ first priority. Only having done that, does he go to take his throne beside his Father in heaven.
Have you ever wondered why Jesus needed to ascend to heaven? Why couldn’t he have just continued to show up now and then, here and there in a bodily form so we could sit down and have a meal with him, or touch his hands and side when we feel doubts creep in? Wouldn’t it be nice to have him stay the night in your guest room when you’re alone and scared? Iknow I don’t understand the whole answer to that question of why the ascension was necessary, but what I do know is that it was unlikely that the disciples would have stepped into their new roles and taken up their new responsibilities with Jesus still hanging around.
Most of us know it’s hard for young adults to really start taking responsibility when they’re still living at home, when Mom is still there to do the laundry and Dad is still there to cook supper (or maybe the other way around in your household). It’s hard to step into a manager position if your boss keeps looking in to make all the day-to-day decisions. In an article about Jesus’ ascension, a preaching professor wrote that it functioned “to get Jesus off the stage in order to make room for the age of the apostles to begin.” I’d never thought of it like that, but it makes some sense. The disciples have had some practice, but Jesus was there to take the lead. Jesus was doing the teaching and preaching. Jesus was making the day-today decisions.
Easter accomplished Jesus’ work of making forgiveness available to all, of breaking the way through death, and opening the door to eternal life. It was time for the good news to be taken beyond what one human could do, or even what 12 could do. It was time for the message of forgiveness and new life to be taken beyond the land where Jesus lived and died and rose again, to all people everywhere. It was time for the age of Christ’s Body being present in the world within his followers, within communities of Christ’s people. It was time to createthe Church to continue Jesus’ mission.
As I mulled over the idea of the ascension as removing the physically-present Jesus from the stage so the mission of the church could begin, it occurred to me that a month ago we experienced a removing of the physically-present church building. If you could have, you too might have gazed longingly toward the building, just as the disciples gazed longingly toward the sky after Jesus. It felt like a painful loss, even as we reminded ourselves that the church is not a building, the church is a people.
I would never suggest that God caused the coronavirus to get church buildings off the stage so that the church, as a people, could be re-created, or renewed, but perhaps the God who brings good out of every situation is inviting us to be re-made in this time, to hear again our calling to take the gospel out into the world. We know that the disciples leap to take the gospel beyond Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. They began to do that only as persecution began to drive them out. This pandemic may be serving a positive purpose in God’s plan to get Christians out of their comfortable church buildings to share and show the love of Jesus beyond the church walls.
I tuned in to a podcast this past week with an organization called Church Pulse, that gathers input from many congregations across our nation. They reported that over the last 4 weeks, as churches have been pushed out of their buildings and onto internet platforms, streaming worship, zooming small group meetings, more than 50% of the churches have reported growth – more people tuning in than had previously shown up in person. On Wednesday I joined a zoom meeting with the Walworth County pastors and they reported the same thing!
There is a longing for the love that moves through closed doors and makes its home within our hearts. There’s a hunger for the hope and peace that Jesus offers. Jesus’ primary plan for his followers was for them to be filled by the Holy Spirit in order to be empowered to be his witnesses. That was Jesus’ plan was not just for those first followers, but for us too.
There is a proverb that says, “A hope deferred makes the heart sick; but a dream fulfilled is a tree of life.” (Proverbs 13:12) It might be tempting to think we should just bide our time till our church building can be reopened, to tread water till we can get back to normal. But deferring our calling, putting off our purpose, will make our hearts sick. We must seek ways to fulfill the dream, the vision of Jesus for the church. When we fulfill our calling to be witness, to show and share the love of Jesus, we will be part of a living, growing, life-giving organism called the Church, a tree of life planted in our community.
So we need to reimagine and recreate how we will be the church without a church building. We need to be disciples out of our own homes, at our essential jobs, on our essential errands, because it is unlikely to happen out of our church building for some time yet. What an opportunity we have!
A witness in a court room is someone with an important piece of information that is necessary for the person on trial. What important piece of information do you have about Jesus that is necessary for someone else? That might be the difference between life and death for someone who doesn’t know Jesus? That might be the difference between staying faithfulor wandering away for a fellow believer? Being a witness means sharing the story of Jesus, introducing people to Jesus, sharing your story and what difference Jesus makes in your life (even if that’s over the phone or over zoom). Being a witness means building relationships and sharing where your peace comes from (even if it’s from a distance of 6 feet).
Jesus does not demand that his followers should be witnesses, he declares a future fact – you will be my witnesses. So they join together constantly in prayer as they wait, and are shaped by the Spirit as the church is created in them. We already have that Spirit, and we have the power of prayer! Let us allow God to recreate us to be the church in this time, for you will be witnesses for Jesus. Hallelujah!
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