To Be Continued...Acts 1:1-11 - May 24, 2009

So it is with today's story from the book of the Bible we call the Acts of the Apostles or simply Acts. For you see, Acts is the second episode of the story of Jesus of Nazareth written -scholars believe- by the author who penned the Gospel of Luke. After a brief reference to his testimony to the life of Jesus, the author goes on to give a recap of what's been happening with Jesus and the disciples in the days since the resurrection. Then he paints a fuller more complete picture of the last story in his gospel -what has come to be called The Ascension of Jesus. In this scene, we find a promise and a commission: a promise that the disciples would be empowered by the same Spirit that empowered the earthly life of Jesus; a commission to use that power to witness to the gospel -the good news of God's love as it was revealed in the life and teachings, the death and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. "And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world." [Acts 1:8]

The story of Jesus: to be continued in the lives of the disciples. The story of Jesus: to be continued in the witness of the community of faith. The story of Jesus: to be continued.... It is a story in which the disciples of Jesus will all come to see and understand that the true joy and fulfillment of their life's purpose will be found as they live in openness to God's Spirit, using the gifts they have been given to bring life and hope, healing and forgiveness to those people they meet along the way. Like Jesus they will proclaim the power of God's love. Like Jesus they will heal broken bodies and mend broken lives. Like Jesus they will bring life out death, hope out of despair and a future where none seemed possible.

But for now, they have to wait! They have to wait until the time is right; wait until their hearts are ready; wait until they have been fed; wait... There is a Zen Proverb that asserts: When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. It is as if the risen Christ is saying to the disciples, when you are ready and the time is right, the Teacher, the Advocate, the Spirit, the power of God's Love, the life-energy, will come, will emerge, will enfold and fill you so that you will be able to continue the story and bear witness to the world.

It is said that after Jesus returned to heaven he and the archangel Gabriel were having a conversation. Gabriel said to him, "You did so much and suffered so much to demonstrate God's love. Do the people know and understand your message?"

Jesus replied, "Well there are few men and women who do."

"But your task was to tell the world. How are you going to do that?" Gabriel replied.

"Peter and John, Mary and Martha, Thomas and James and the others they will spread the word to more people, who will in turn demonstrate it to still others and soon the whole world will know."

"But Jesus, you know how unreliable people can be. Surely you've made other plans."

"No, I haven't made other plans" Jesus answered a smile on his face, "I'm counting on them."

Without the testimony of those first disciples the story of Jesus would have been just a footnote in the history of the Hebrew people. Without a bold and daring faith that moved them to follow Christ no matter where the road might lead, we, in all probability, would not be sitting here today. It is really a rather remarkable story -these bumbling, confused, questioning, frightened, uncertain, squabbling followers who never quite seemed to understand what Jesus was all about become bold proclaimers of God's love in their passionate words, their compassionate actions and their love empowered lives. What a testimony to the power of God's love to heal and transform, to renew and empower very common, very ordinary lives.

But the story did not end with these disciples. It is a story that is and must be continued in each new generation. It has been said that there are no second generation Christians. We cannot simply hear the stories of faith as they were lived out in other people's lives. Even if we believe that they are true, simple belief is not enough. It is the beginning, but it is not enough. Like those first disciples, each generation must wait... wait until the time is right; wait until their hearts are ready; wait until they have been fed; wait...

This past week I spent a twenty-four hour retreat at Tower Hill Camp with twelve of my UCC clergy colleagues. Over the past few months the topic of conversation at many cluster meetings centered on how burned out many of us were feeling tired, exhausted, burned-out. So it was decided that we would plan a brief retreat, a time to rest and relax, play and connect. The main content of this retreat was to be a time when each person would share the story of his/her call to ministry.

I didn't arrive at this retreat with very high expectations of the time we would spend together. Most of the colleagues in our cluster that I knew best and felt most comfortable with were not attending. But as we played together and ate together the Spirit was moving among us, and my heart began to open. Then as we began sharing our stories, something moved within me and I listened in awe as I heard testimony after testimony of the power of God's love to touch the lives of ordinary men and women and empower them to do more than they ever dreamed or imagined they could do. A few among us had fairly straight paths from a nurturing loving church and family environment to the answering of a call to give their lives to Christ and the Church. But by far, the majority of the stories spoke of struggle and questions, doubts and confusion, pain and brokenness, loss and recovery, healing and hope. There were stories filled with the pain of broken relationships and death; stories of road blocks and barriers that seemed to block the way; stories of drug abuse and reckless living; stories of the struggle with a sense of inadequacy and fear. But through every story the power of God's love was revealed. In every story there was at least one person who stood as a beacon of hope and renewal, witnessing in word and deed to the power of God's love alive and well in the world and gently leading the speaker to finally surrender his or her life to Christ. It was a powerful time of waiting; a time in which the Spirit was moving; a time in which renewal was happening; a time in which we were being prepared once again to witness to the good news of God's love in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, in Joliet and Plainfield, in Beecher and Grant Park, in Manhattan and Monee, in Dyer and Papineau, in Mokena and Frankfort, in Sauk Village and Dwight, and even to the ends of the world."

The story of Jesus: to be continued in the lives of the disciples of every generation. The story of Jesus: to be continued in your life and mine! The story of Jesus: to be continued.... Wait and see!