Acts
1:15-17, 21-26; 1 John 5:9-13; John 17:6-19
Today,
on the 7th Sunday of Easter, the resurrection is almost 2 months
behind us. We join the disciples in continuing to figure out what it means that
Jesus is alive and the tomb is empty.
The
reading from John’s Gospel gives us a portion of Jesus’ prayer and instructions
to the disciples on their last night together. “Love one another. Bad stuff
will come, but you will be protected from the evil because you are made holy
through the truth.” The reading from 1 John echoes and expands on the Gospel
reading. Those who believe in Jesus have eternal life, here on earth as well as
after death.
The
reading from Acts tells the story of a meeting in which the disciples choose a
replacement for Judas Iscariot. Twelve is an important number throughout the
history of the people. There were twelve sons of Jacob; there were twelve
tribes, named for these sons. There were twelve gates in Solomon’s temple.
Accordingly,
Jesus chose the symbolic number twelve for the leading disciples. And, at the time of Jesus, leadership councils
were based on having 10% of the membership as council members. This is why Luke
includes the number 120 in the count of Jesus’ followers shortly after Jesus’
ascension. The disciples draw lots – maybe stones or dice or the long straw –
and Matthias is chosen. Unfortunately, we read nothing more about him in
Scripture.
Whether we read John, 1 John, or Acts,
the main task of the disciples in the days following the resurrection was to
tell other people that God loves them. They were to testify, witness, tell
stories about the good news Jesus has brought.
These
first disciples could share eye-witness testimony of Jesus’ events and his
teaching. Parables and other short stories are easy to remember, so there are
lots of them. They are easy to share with others, and make an impact on those
who heard them, especially for the first time.
As
time went on, the first generation of disciples began to die, either through
martyrdom or old age. The belief that Jesus would return soon began to fade. They
continued to witness to the good news, and the church continued to grow. Today,
we have those same Jesus stories available to us in Scripture.
We
also have our own stories of our connections with Jesus and his disciples. In
the classes about becoming an inviting church, we have been learning that we
all have stories that connect us to each other and to Jesus.
I
can hear you objecting, saying, “I don’t have any stories!” I disagree. We all
have stories. It’s more a matter of recognizing them and giving them some
shaping. If you ask pastors to tell you their call story, you are likely to get
a fifteen to thirty- minute story about how God led them step-by-step, and
sometimes kicking and screaming, into pastoral ministry.
But
just as important are the stories of lay people and how their faith has kept
them from going crazy, has helped them endure the traumas of death and serious
illness, and has helped them celebrate blessings. For example, here is one of
my stories.
My
brother Rob was born when I was 14. I took care of him a lot; he was like my
first son. When he was about 13, Rob took some PCP, some angel dust, a
hallucinogenic drug. As a result, he became paranoid schizophrenic, and at 19,
he took his own life.
The
night after Rob died, I couldn’t sleep; I sat on the sofa with a Bible and just
flipped pages. I read whatever was on those pages. And I was amazed by what I
found. Everywhere I turned in Scripture, there was God, helping the people get
through whatever they were going through. God was faithful, ever-present, and powerful.
And in the morning, a good friend hugged me and said, “This is really crappy!” There
was God, helping me get through that day.
You
and I – we all – have stories like this one, times when we didn’t know how we
would get through something, yet we did. It was because someone spoke to us,
showed they cared about us, or we read something God gave us to read. This is
how Spirit works in and through us. When we tell our own stories we have a
chance to help others through a tough time. And they get to know Jesus cares
about them at the same time.
These
stories are called faith stories. If I were to ask you to tell me a faith story
from your own life, what story would you tell? Can you think of one? For
example, when a you or a loved one was ill? Or when you or a loved one received
good news? Would you be willing to share it with someone who has a similar
story happening in their life right now and needs to know how to get through
the situation?
In
the season of Easter, we have been reading from Acts, and we have read stories
of miracles, and Peter no longer putting his foot in his mouth as he preaches.
But there are also stories of one person telling another person about Jesus, as
we heard with Philip and the Eunuch.
This
is what evangelism is all about. One person telling another person a story
about how Jesus helped them get through a bad time, or gave them a wonderful
surprise. I think of it happening over a cup of coffee, or a glass of some cold
beverage. It can happen anywhere, at any time, if we are looking for the
opportunity to swap some stories with another child of God.
I
encourage you to connect with your own stories, so they are handy when you have
the chance to share them with someone. Spirit will poke you on the arm or
whisper in your ear and say, “This person needs to hear your story. It will comfort
them, and help them to know they are not alone. It will help them believe they
have been forgiven.” Amen
