Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

Acts 1:6-11 November 18, 2007

“Will You or Won’t You?”
Rev. Meagan M. Boozer

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Friday morning, I was sitting for 2 1/2 hours in the service waiting room at Antrim Way Honda in Greencastle. I knew all the work I needed on my car would take a while, so I took my computer and my bag full of work. I worked for a while on the computer, and then I put it away and pulled out a couple of books I was using to prepare for this sermon this morning. There were 2 other women in the waiting area, sitting fairly close to one another, and 1 man sitting across the 20x20 room. No one had spoken to each other except to say “hello,” or “good morning.” I pulled a book out about world missions and one of the women immediately said, “I’ve seen that book before. Are you a missionary?” “I’m a pastor,” I said. “Yes, I’m a missionary.” The other woman asked, “Do you have a church?” I told her the name of this church and where it was located. And then the two women started talking animatedly to one another about their churches. One was part of a new ministry in Shirleysburg. “We believe in the full use of the gifts of the Spirit,” she said. “Speaking in tongues, prophesying, being slain in the spirit…” “Oh yes,” said the other woman. “I’m Pentecostal. It’s the only way!” she exclaimed. And they went on and on about their churches and how God had moved them out of dead churches that used bulletins. “How can a church use a bulletin to direct their worship? Only God can lead a worship service! You just have to get in there and let God get things going!” They started talking about their former churches and all the division going on in them – people gossiping about each other, even the pastor spreading rumors. (In case you haven’t figured it out by now, I had become completely irrelevant to their conversation! God had just used me to get it started.)
But as I sat there and listened to them, I asked myself this question, “Is this a good witness? Is this conversation I’m hearing part of what Jesus was commanding us to do in Acts 1:8, “And you will be my witnesses?” I was concerned about this because you see, there was a man sitting alone across the room. He didn’t join in the conversation at all; he didn’t look at these women as they were talking, he was just staring at the TV. He had to have heard some, if not most, of what they were saying. They were not whispering. So, I’m sitting there thinking, “If this man is not a Christian, what is he thinking about Christians right now? What is he hearing about the Church?”
I know there are many times I have been a poor witness myself; I know there are times I’ve been a good witness. I hope, with each passing year, that I become more mature in my faith, more controlled in my behavior and my speech according to God’s biblical standards, making me a better witness for a better percentage of the time. Because you never know who, on earth, is looking and/or listening.
Let us pray: O God of great love & purpose, please speak your words to us that stir up within us a great desire to be your witnesses in our local community, in Franklin County, in the United States of America, and throughout the whole world. This we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.
The study of Acts is the study of early Christianity. Without this biblical book, we would know very little about the early church. It is an amazing story of the spreading flame of the Holy Spirit – sort of like those wildfires in California a couple of weeks ago – but without any firefighters to put out the flame!
In just two Sundays, we will once again turn our eyes to the manger. Once again, we will listen to those wonderful words, “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.”
We’re almost back there in that simple, beautiful beginning to Jesus’ life on earth. But today, we stand at the end of Jesus’ earthly ministry and we listen to his final words, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
If you walk into a bank and someone holds up the bank, taking the money, and running out the door right in front of you, you immediately become a witness. Right? You were there. You saw it. You know what happened. It is your responsibility to tell what you know. To be a witness is to speak from personal knowledge of facts and their significance.
The apostles, as eyewitnesses to the saving work of Jesus, were witnesses in a very unique sense. They saw Jesus touch people and heal them on the spot! They heard his hard words of truth to the religious leaders! They were there when he was arrested, crucified, and buried. They were the eyewitnesses! They saw his resurrected body and heard his familiar voice call them by name. But all who believe and receive the truth of the testimony from the apostles also qualify as witnesses. “You will be my witnesses,” Jesus said to you and to me, and then, “When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.”
R. Kent Hughes, in his commentary on the book of Acts says this about what happened at the ascension: “Some suggest that the cloud came right down onto the mountain. That cloud may have been the Shekinah glory – a visible representation of the pleasure and presence of God. This was the same symbol that Moses had encountered on Sinai when God covered him with his hand so that Moses only saw the afterglow. It was the same cloud that traveled before Israel by day (a pillar of fire by night). It was the cloud that lay over the tabernacle and filled the temple. It was the cloud that Ezekiel saw depart over the east gate. It was the same presence that surrounded Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration when his face shone forth like the sun (Matthew 17). The apostles’ hearts were pounding, and their eyes were wide as saucers as God powerfully underscored his Son’s final words to his Church!”
The two angels came and asked, “Why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
In other words, “Jesus is returning again – so quit star gazing – and get up and get going!” Be a witness! Go tell others what you have seen and heard. Tell them how Jesus has changed your life as you have allowed him to change your heart! The life of a true follower of Jesus should be a light to the world! The key is genuine commitment to God’s plan, in God’s way, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, and second by second.
We all know that in a few seconds, with a few harsh words thrown at another, our witness can grow dim. In a few minutes or hours, depending on the road we choose to walk, we can change from being a witness to Christ to being a stumbling block for others on their way to Christ. Whether we live, whether we have health, whether we have sickness, whether we are rich, whether we are poor, whether we get honor, whether we get slandered, our deepest desire must be to please God by witnessing clearly and boldly to what Jesus has done in our lives.
How are you witnessing to Jesus’ work on the cross, to his victory over death? How is your life witnessing his love to others? How
up-building are your conversations, or do your words and worries bring darkness instead of light?
Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses.”
The Holy Spirit is ready to empower each of us to be better witnesses. The whole church, every single member of it, including our new members today, is called to take up the task Jesus left us to do – to witness to others of the love & goodness of God.
They’re starting to take Gideon Bibles out of hotel rooms, you know. It is claimed that if they aren’t going to have a Koran, or a Book of Mormon, or any other supposedly holy book, they can’t have a Bible in your bedside drawer. (You can go to the front desk and ask for a Bible to read if you want one.)
Back in February of this year, about 50,000 George Washington dollar coins were put into circulation without the motto, “In God we Trust” imprinted on them. The U.S. Mint said it was a mistake on their part.
More than ever, Jesus’ charge to us to be his witnesses must be taken to heart, and must spill out of our mouths, and flow through our helping hands and moving feet. It’s not up to Hotels. It’s not up to the Government. It’s not up to the U.S. Mint. It’s up to us, as individuals, and as a whole church body, who have been called by His name to stand and bear witness wherever He calls us go. It could be in Honduras, in Montana, in Camden, in Fannett-Metal, or Southern Huntington, or Shippensburg High School. It could be on the basketball court, in the office, or in the waiting room at the car dealership.
I believe that the witness we gave yesterday in raising money for something beyond ourselves, for something not “church related” was a real calling on us from God. I’m grateful for that witness that I trust will bear great fruit beyond anything we could imagine on our own.
In the constitution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the church is called to fulfill Jesus’ mission challenge with these words:
“The Church is called to undertake its mission even at the risk of losing its life, trusting in God alone as the author and giver of life, sharing the gospel, and doing those deeds in the world that point beyond themselves to the new reality in Christ.”
Thank you for your hard work, church. Thank you for taking the risk to give so generously. Thank you for working together cheerfully and responsibly. Thank you for your witness. There is no greater joy than the joy of serving the Lord together in the fellowship and power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you for doing your part yesterday. But please take seriously Jesus’ call to us 24/7. Don’t let your guard down. Allow the Holy Spirit to work through you so that you will be his witnesses in your immediate community, in your county, in your country, and throughout the whole world.
Let us pray:
Thank you, Lord, for giving us a purpose beyond ourselves. Thank you for giving us the Holy Spirit, without whom we could not fulfill this purpose. Thank you for grace, for forgiveness, for honesty, and for your mercies that are new every morning. Thank you that we do not have to live in the past, but we can live the new life you give us in Jesus. Thank you for calling us forward to be your witnesses. May it be so that we are willing to be your witnesses, even at the risk of losing our lives. Thank you for those who have been your witnesses to us, those living and those who now live in heaven with you. Thank you for their influence and for the gift they gave to us. In word and in deed, without excuse, may we shine brightly for you. For we pray it in Jesus’ name, Amen.

Upper Path Valley Presbyterian Church

11-18-07