Rev. George Miller
April 7, 2024
Acts 1:1-14
Hear now these words from the Book Of Acts
chapter 28:30-31-
“(Paul) lived there two whole years at his
own expense and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the Kingdom of God
and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ
with boldness and without hindrance.”
This is how the Book of Acts ends, with
the apostle Paul in Rome, sharing with everyone about the Good News of Christ
Resurrected.
But how did we get from the empty tomb in
Jerusalem to 1,431 miles away in Rome, on a completely different continent and
culture?
THAT’s what the Book of Acts magnificently
depicts.
But first, we have some basics to
cover. Today we are focused on the weeks
after Christ has been resurrected.
To be very transparent- the author of Acts
has a completely different version of the story than Mark.
Mark was written during a time of war for folk
who were very scared and seeing buildings all around them crumble to the
ground.
Mark does not show us the Resurrected
Christ but instead says to these very scared citizens-
where there is life, where there is love,
where there are families, and people in need, Christ is there.
But the author of Acts is writing for
people years after the war, when buildings are rebuilt and there is a sense of
calm.
Think of Mark writing for soldiers during
World War 2 and
Acts being written for their teenage
children who are watching The Ed Sullivan Show and hanging out at the malt
shop.
The author of Acts is writing for people
who have a bit more stability and calm, so the emphasis is not -
“Go to Galilee and look for the
Resurrected Christ in the merchants and housewives, farmers and unwell.”
The author of Acts is more like-
“Hey, we’ve overcome this horrible chapter
in our life, but Jesus brought us together as a community,
NOW- how do we act as One and continue to
gather and experience heaven together?”
So Acts does not begin with Mary, Mary,
and Salome still in fear.
Instead the Book of Acts begins with
everyone calmly staying in place, in Jerusalem, waiting.
The Resurrected Christ has been visibly
seen, by folk walking to Emmaus and breaking bread,
by Simon Peter, by the other 10 disciples,
seen by the women who, as it turns out,
had always been there, just not always mentioned.
And after some time together, Jesus
ascends to the heavens and his followers find ways to maintain the ministry
they have participated in.
To do so, they pray, they stay united,
they recall Scripture, they support one another with memories, with ministry,
with shared leadership.
And they wait.
Faithfully, they wait.
This time of waiting is not one of Palm
Branches waved in the air, nor a time of cloaks laid on the ground, or
alabaster jars anointing hair and feet.
Acts portrays this post Resurrection
experience as a time of waiting, of praying, of staying together.
How we go from the women and apostles
waiting in place to Paul years later in Rome is purely an act of God,
an act of faithfulness,
an act of the astounding Holy Spirit.
So let’s share a few reflections.
First, we talk about the women. Once again, we find that the women are right
there with the men.
Just as Mark mentions the women had been
there with Jesus since Galilee, the author of Acts tells us (in Luke 8:1-3)
that as Jesus traveled from place to place,
women like Joanna, Susanna, Mary
Magdelene, and Chuza’s wife, were right there, providing for him with their own
resources, their own gifts.
They were there when he cried his last
words, they were there to see his body placed in the tomb, they were there to
prepare ointments, spices.
They were there on the day the stone was
rolled away and Jesus was not amongst the maggots and mites.
It is no surprise to find that Mother Mary
and other women were there with the apostles, praying, waiting, recalling,
sharing, and caring.
Second, there is the question of how the
women and male apostles are going to come together, stay together as a
community, and continue the ministry of Jesus.
The answer is- do what they saw Jesus do
with their own eyes.
Now they will be the ones to preach about the
Good News, they will be the ones to embody what the Kingdom of Heaven look
like.
The women and men will be the ones who
address the crowds hungry for knowledge, they will be the ones to feed the
crowds hungry for food.
They will be the ones to continue Christ’s
acts of compassion by listening to others speak, seeing them as they are,
welcoming them to the table, being
comfortable with the differently different.
Since the women and men who spent so much time
following and observing Jesus are One in the Lord,
they have the tools and ability to speak
words of empowerment to folk who feel powerless.
They have the ability to speak out and
show up when unloving officials want to promote injustice.
They have the gifts of the Holy Spirit and
the knowledge of God’s Kingdom to be kind, walk humble, welcome others,
And to embody the Gospel by loving God and
loving neighbor.
Finally, the question becomes
“Where?”
Where is this community of women and men
based on the life and ministry of Jesus to do Heaven’s Work?
And the answer is simple- they are to be anywhere
there is life, anywhere there are ears to hear, anywhere that folk are hungry.
The women and men are to share the Good
News in Jerusalem, all of Judea and Samaria and the ends of the world.
Here, at Emmanuel UCC the answer can be
similar but sound slightly different.
As a community built around the
Resurrected Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are to share the Kingdom
of God to
Highlands Ridge and Golf Hammock,
Tanglewood and Whispering Pines, Downtown and Lemon Street, 27 and 17.
We are to share what we know and how we praise
God via our worship and ministries with Haiti and Cuba, Philippines and Canada,
Biloxi and Ridge Area ARC.
We are to share our ministry via the
Compassion Crew and Pride, Compassionate Friends, and the County Commissioners,
We share the Good News through the Garden
of Hope and Shepherd’s Pantry, Tai Chi and Somalia.
We are not limited by walls or a 10 am
time slot- we are unlimited by our public actions, our social media presence,
and the way we meet and great individuals.
There is a reason why the Good News of
Christ Resurrected made its way from Jerusalem to Rome 1,431 miles away.
It’s because the people came together,
they prayed,
they faithfully waited, they faithfully
remembered,
and they faithfully acted and lived the
way Jesus had shown them to.
And we, as apostles of Christ, get to do
the same thing,
2,000 years later
and over 6, 595 miles away from where that
Cross and that empty tomb laid.
May we, as Emmanuel UCC, continue to be
Christ to our community.
Amen.
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