April 26, 2009
Grace Church
Rev. Robert E. Hensley

Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48

      Let us pray.  O God, your light shines continually upon the path of all who sincerely seek to know you and to do your will. Help us always to search for you, always to listen for your voice. For the impulse within us to seek righteousness and for the measure of truth that we have found, we praise your holy name. Inspire us to walk in your ways as it is written: "You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy." Amen.  
(The Gates of Prayer New York: Central Conference of American Rabbis, 1980, 467.) 
 

      I heard a story last week about a woman who went shopping off island with her daughter. The crowds were awful. They had to skip lunch because the schedule was so tight. She was tired, hungry; her feet were aching; and she was more than a little irritable. As they left the last store for the car, she asked her daughter, "Did you see the nasty look that salesman gave me?"  
 

      Her daughter answered, "He didn't give it to you, Mom. You had it when you went in."

      I want us to take a moment and reflect upon the Great Commission and what it was exactly that Jesus said.

      Did Jesus say, "Go into all the world and discuss the gospel?" 
 

      Did Jesus say, "Go into all the world and program the gospel?" 
 

      Did Jesus say, "Go into all the world and do committee work for the gospel?" 
 

      Did Jesus say, "Go into all the world and conference about the gospel?" 
 

      No.  What Jesus said was, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel," and, "Go into all the world and teach the gospel." 
 

      Like the martyrs, evangelists and teachers of the first century Christian Church, there have been witnesses in our own time who have stood tall in times of testing. Being called by Christ to be a witness to Christ is the church's true identity. 
 

      In Jewish tradition, testimony for or against another must be corroborated by an "authenticating second" in order to be legally accepted as truth. Jesus upheld that tradition when he sent his disciples out in pairs to proclaim the Good News, to heal and teach. The Holy Spirit continues to uphold that principle by appearing wherever "two or three" are gathered together in Christ's name.  
 

      Luke emphasizes this witness principle in his resurrection narrative. Two heavenly messengers testify to Jesus' resurrection to three (or more) of the women. Two travelers along the Emmaus road encounter the risen Jesus. To authenticate the truth of Jesus the Christ takes two. 
 

      But how do we come up with two witnesses to Jesus as the Christ when he is ascended into heaven? First, Jesus is still his own star witness, testifying to his genuine messianic identity. But now he is known to us through the tradition of Scripture and the experience of personal conversion. 
 

      The second witness, the "authenticating second" to the risen Christ, is the church.  It is in fact the church that keeps Jesus alive in our midst by becoming the earthly body of Christ. But to become that body of Christ takes more than a free Sunday morning, a little enthusiasm and a big building. 
 

      After Jesus appears to all the disciples, "opens their minds" to the truth about his identity and the saving action of his resurrection and triumphantly proclaims, "You are witnesses of these things," Jesus gives them one more directive. In verse 49 he says, "I am sending upon you what my God promised; so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high." In other words, "Stay put! Don't do anything yet! Before you take one step, wait for that power from on high."  That power from on high is the Holy Spirit. 
 

      The disciples, despite all they have experienced, are not yet prepared to be authenticating witnesses to the risen Christ. They need something more. There is no authenticating without anointing. 
 

      Jesus knew that his disciples, even with all their enthusiasm and good intentions, were only ordinary human beings. Counting on an unassisted human spirit to embody Christ's mission on earth simply asks the impossible. To be the second witness, the church needs that anointing from the Holy Spirit. It was the Holy Spirit that made it possible for a scraggly band of fishermen and tentmakers to witness about Christ across all of Asia Minor. It is the Holy Spirit that continues to make it possible today for any gathering of disciples, no matter how diverse their interests, weak their strengths, or strong their weaknesses, to become the body of Christ on earth. 
 

      It is easy to spot the absence of the Holy Spirit. We've all sat through some church services where it feels as if the Spirit's been sucked right out the doors. We've all attended some church meetings where everyone's individual agenda is so important that the mission of the church is forgotten. We've all heard the hate spewed forth from some "Christians" who believe their personal prejudices and bigotries are divinely-ordained truths. In the words of Australian art critic Robert Hughes:  
 

      “With so many crooks queuing up to be washed in the blood of the Lamb, it's no wonder that the poor creature is looking a bit pale.” (Culture of Complaint: The Fraying of America [New York: Oxford University Press, 1993])  
 

      When we try to go off on our own power, our own strengths, our own spirit, we are bound to fail. We cannot present an authentic witness to Christ without the presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst. 
 

      Consider this if you will: The Holy Spirit does not dwell within us so much as among us. The church is a community of faith, a communion of witnesses, a collective of love. As individuals, we are incapable of being vital witnesses to God's redeeming activity through Jesus Christ. But with the Spirit in our midst, we can do the impossible.  
 

      Alone, Abraham could not see beyond the boundaries of one small valley. With the Spirit he could envision the promise of a whole new land. 
 

      Alone, Moses was confined to chasing his herds in the wilderness.  With the Spirit he led all the Hebrews to freedom. 
 

      Alone, David could not imagine being other than a simple shepherd. With the Spirit he became the king of all Israel. 
 

      Alone, Joshua felt the new weight of leadership heavy on his shoulders. With the Spirit he used that weight to knock down walls. 
 

      Alone, John the Baptist was an outcast and a misfit. With the Spirit he was a prophet and a visionary. 
 

      Alone, Mary was insignificant and lowly. With the Spirit she was the bearer of the greatest gift God has ever given. 
 

      Alone, Peter hid in the high priest's courtyard. With the Spirit he stood in the temple and preached. 
 

      Alone, Paul was filled with pride and rage. With the Spirit he was filled with love and peace. 
 

      Although he is not well- known in American churches, St. Lawrence has been sculptured, painted and crafted in bronze or stained glass more often than almost any other Saint of the Christian Church. In England alone, more than 250 churches are named for him, as are six in Rome.

      St. Lawrence was martyred in 258 A.D. But we remember him, not for his martyrdom, but for his being Archdeacon of Rome. His responsibilities included maintaining the sacred vessels of the small, struggling church and distributing alms to the poor. While he was Archdeacon, the Governor of Rome took Pope Sextus captive and demanded, "Where is the treasure of the church?" The Pope would not tell, and they tortured him to death. He never did tell, but in his agony and pain, Pope Sextus somehow mentioned the name of Archdeacon Lawrence. They took Lawrence captive.  
 

      "Where is the treasure of the Church?" they demanded, threatening with the same fate that befell the Pope. 
 

      Lawrence replied, "Governor, I cannot get it for you instantaneously; but if you give me three days, I will give you the treasure." The Governor agreed. Lawrence left. Three days later he walked into the Governor's courtyard followed by a great flood of people. The Governor walked out onto his balcony and said, "Where is the treasure of your church?"  
 

      Lawrence stepped forward, and pointed to the crowd that accompanied him – the lame, the blind, the deaf, the nobodies of society – and said, "Here are the treasures of the Christian church." 
 

      So if perhaps you might be wondering about the treasure of the church and where it is to be found, all you need do is take a good look around you.  YOU are the treasure of the church…Amen.