Being A Witness
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series II, Cycle A
The other day I was driving along when all of a sudden, out of the blue, this car went whizzing by me on the right. The car was going about 65 miles per hour in a 25 mph zone. Just as he whipped by me, another car pulled out on my right just ahead of me. You guessed it. Wham! I was fortunate to be able to steer away from the mess and not get cracked up myself. As soon as I stopped, though, I jumped out of my car and went to check on the two drivers to be sure that everyone was unhurt. By God's grace, no major injuries! The cars, however, were another matter. Honestly, as long as everyone was okay, I didn't much care about the cars. I had a meeting to get to on the other side of town.
Just as I was leaving, though, the police arrived. One officer asked if anyone had "witnessed" the accident. Several people standing there turned and pointed to me. I smiled, turned to leave, and the police officer said, "Could you please stay a moment? We need to hear from you as a witness." So much for my meeting.
This experience, though, gave me pause as I was pouring over this scripture in preparation for today's sermon. My word was important, but not because I was a pastor. They didn't even know my profession. My point of view wasn't sought after because I was eloquent. They sure didn't want my two cents' worth because I was some sort of collision expert. No, they wanted me to share with them because I was there. I was, in the words of the police officer, a "witness."
Isn't it funny? We tend to trust the word of those who were present on the scene. Whether it's an accident, an encounter with a celebrity, or just someone who attended that church council gathering that you missed last week, we believe the one who was there. Even our legal system gives high credence to an "eyewitness." I suppose it makes sense, but it is kind of strange in a way.
I remember meeting someone who actually knew one of the Beatles back in the late 1960s. Now, being a big fan, I've read lots of books about the Beatles. I've watched all the documentaries and television interviews. I own all their recordings, and I can play many of their songs on my guitar. Frankly, I know quite a lot about the Beatles, but meeting this guy who actually knew John Lennon back in London in the late 1960s? I sat mesmerized, listening to this fellow's stories for hours. Why? He was there. He was a witness. It was a step closer to the real thing. A witness brings authenticity and passion; a witness brings us closer and allows us access to what really happened.
This text from the book of Acts give us this same sense of witness. It is the testimony, if you will, of one who was there. These are not ephemeral descriptions, or vague mis-remembered sharings. These are the sharp, poignant memories of someone who was present on the scene: a witness.
But there is more to this than the witness of Peter. Peter makes it clear that he is not the only one. He says, "This Jesus, God raised up, and of that, all of us are witnesses!" What does he mean here? Was everyone in his hearing on the Pentecost day a witness to the resurrection? Not likely. And it's not likely that this was his reference point. Our time could be used to sort out the historical context of Peter's remark here. References to the wider Jewish community would have to be explored, as well as notions of the early church community that was being addressed in this writing.
Whichever way the scholarship goes, it's clear that the writer here means to expand the concept of witness beyond its normative definition. Certainly, not everyone in Peter's hearing was an actual witness. This much we know and must try to absorb. We can be witnesses to new life in Christ Jesus without having been there when he sat upon that marble slab. The witness here isn't like one who was present at the scene of an accident or a crime. It isn't like one who was present in the life moments of a great personage. We can all be -- if we choose -- witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can experience firsthand what it means to receive the newness of life that comes as we embrace the reality of the resurrection.
Then, sisters and brothers, we won't be droning on about doctrine or history. We won't get caught up in our committees or our own ego investment in church program and structure. We will no longer feel the need to be in charge of a diminishing legacy. We will possess the passion, the immediacy and the power of true witnesses. People will stop and pay attention. They'll sit and want to hear more. Ears will open, hearts will soften, and God's love will flow out because we have had the firsthand experience of new life in Christ Jesus.
Think for a moment. Where in your day-to-day living has new life taken root? Where have you found healing? How have new beginnings come upon you? Are these not the resurrection? Have you experienced forgiveness? Have you tasted the joy of grace in a relationship? All of this is of God. All of it echoes the beauty of that empty tomb, and if we can embrace it, we are witnesses to it all.
You see, cementing the resurrection of Jesus Christ into a one-time historical event robs it of its power. We get caught and mired too often in discussions and debates about the historical veracity of our biblical texts. Did this really happen? Did that happen for sure? Did Jesus really say this or that? What a waste of time! It's absurd. We treat the Bible like it's a trial record and we are going over it to find evidence ... of what? Our Holy Word is not a history book. It is the story of who we are as a people, and as such it contains sacred truth. To grind one's teeth in silly debates is to miss the whole beauty of scripture.
While debates rage and discussions put generations of students to sleep, we know that we have access to something much broader and more powerful than mere physical evidence. We have access to a firsthand encounter with the resurrection life in Jesus Christ. Hear what I just said -- I called it the "resurrection life." Resurrection isn't an event. It's a way of life. We cannot, indeed we dare not, try to pinpoint the hour and day that the body awoke and sat up and wandered out of the tomb. We couldn't prove it one way or the other if we wanted to! And friends, it's not the point.
We simply need to embrace the story. It is its own truth. And when we embrace the story, we begin to get the glimmer of the way of living that turns death to life, that lifts up the downtrodden, that literally brings the spirit of life into corners where death has long held sway.
There's no denying it. We are, as Peter submits, "all witnesses." Imagine a whole church full of Christians with the enthusiasm and vigor of people who have been there, people who have seen the reality and power of the resurrection. Let us embrace Christ's rising and let us breathe in the passion and power of the new life that has been offered us. Let us step up to the plate as witnesses who can testify to the power and wonder; the reality of new life in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Just as I was leaving, though, the police arrived. One officer asked if anyone had "witnessed" the accident. Several people standing there turned and pointed to me. I smiled, turned to leave, and the police officer said, "Could you please stay a moment? We need to hear from you as a witness." So much for my meeting.
This experience, though, gave me pause as I was pouring over this scripture in preparation for today's sermon. My word was important, but not because I was a pastor. They didn't even know my profession. My point of view wasn't sought after because I was eloquent. They sure didn't want my two cents' worth because I was some sort of collision expert. No, they wanted me to share with them because I was there. I was, in the words of the police officer, a "witness."
Isn't it funny? We tend to trust the word of those who were present on the scene. Whether it's an accident, an encounter with a celebrity, or just someone who attended that church council gathering that you missed last week, we believe the one who was there. Even our legal system gives high credence to an "eyewitness." I suppose it makes sense, but it is kind of strange in a way.
I remember meeting someone who actually knew one of the Beatles back in the late 1960s. Now, being a big fan, I've read lots of books about the Beatles. I've watched all the documentaries and television interviews. I own all their recordings, and I can play many of their songs on my guitar. Frankly, I know quite a lot about the Beatles, but meeting this guy who actually knew John Lennon back in London in the late 1960s? I sat mesmerized, listening to this fellow's stories for hours. Why? He was there. He was a witness. It was a step closer to the real thing. A witness brings authenticity and passion; a witness brings us closer and allows us access to what really happened.
This text from the book of Acts give us this same sense of witness. It is the testimony, if you will, of one who was there. These are not ephemeral descriptions, or vague mis-remembered sharings. These are the sharp, poignant memories of someone who was present on the scene: a witness.
But there is more to this than the witness of Peter. Peter makes it clear that he is not the only one. He says, "This Jesus, God raised up, and of that, all of us are witnesses!" What does he mean here? Was everyone in his hearing on the Pentecost day a witness to the resurrection? Not likely. And it's not likely that this was his reference point. Our time could be used to sort out the historical context of Peter's remark here. References to the wider Jewish community would have to be explored, as well as notions of the early church community that was being addressed in this writing.
Whichever way the scholarship goes, it's clear that the writer here means to expand the concept of witness beyond its normative definition. Certainly, not everyone in Peter's hearing was an actual witness. This much we know and must try to absorb. We can be witnesses to new life in Christ Jesus without having been there when he sat upon that marble slab. The witness here isn't like one who was present at the scene of an accident or a crime. It isn't like one who was present in the life moments of a great personage. We can all be -- if we choose -- witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We can experience firsthand what it means to receive the newness of life that comes as we embrace the reality of the resurrection.
Then, sisters and brothers, we won't be droning on about doctrine or history. We won't get caught up in our committees or our own ego investment in church program and structure. We will no longer feel the need to be in charge of a diminishing legacy. We will possess the passion, the immediacy and the power of true witnesses. People will stop and pay attention. They'll sit and want to hear more. Ears will open, hearts will soften, and God's love will flow out because we have had the firsthand experience of new life in Christ Jesus.
Think for a moment. Where in your day-to-day living has new life taken root? Where have you found healing? How have new beginnings come upon you? Are these not the resurrection? Have you experienced forgiveness? Have you tasted the joy of grace in a relationship? All of this is of God. All of it echoes the beauty of that empty tomb, and if we can embrace it, we are witnesses to it all.
You see, cementing the resurrection of Jesus Christ into a one-time historical event robs it of its power. We get caught and mired too often in discussions and debates about the historical veracity of our biblical texts. Did this really happen? Did that happen for sure? Did Jesus really say this or that? What a waste of time! It's absurd. We treat the Bible like it's a trial record and we are going over it to find evidence ... of what? Our Holy Word is not a history book. It is the story of who we are as a people, and as such it contains sacred truth. To grind one's teeth in silly debates is to miss the whole beauty of scripture.
While debates rage and discussions put generations of students to sleep, we know that we have access to something much broader and more powerful than mere physical evidence. We have access to a firsthand encounter with the resurrection life in Jesus Christ. Hear what I just said -- I called it the "resurrection life." Resurrection isn't an event. It's a way of life. We cannot, indeed we dare not, try to pinpoint the hour and day that the body awoke and sat up and wandered out of the tomb. We couldn't prove it one way or the other if we wanted to! And friends, it's not the point.
We simply need to embrace the story. It is its own truth. And when we embrace the story, we begin to get the glimmer of the way of living that turns death to life, that lifts up the downtrodden, that literally brings the spirit of life into corners where death has long held sway.
There's no denying it. We are, as Peter submits, "all witnesses." Imagine a whole church full of Christians with the enthusiasm and vigor of people who have been there, people who have seen the reality and power of the resurrection. Let us embrace Christ's rising and let us breathe in the passion and power of the new life that has been offered us. Let us step up to the plate as witnesses who can testify to the power and wonder; the reality of new life in Christ Jesus. Amen.
