But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead...’” Matthew 28:5-7

 

In the past few weeks we have been studying the book of the Acts of the Apostles in worship. Acts is the story of the phenomenal rise of the church after the resurrection of Christ. In it we meet Christ’s apostles and disciples, so fearful and in hiding after the crucifixion, suddenly acting with courage and power because they have seen the resurrected Christ, and have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thousands of people come to know Christ through their witness, and the church persists in power today. That power is lived out in acts of compassion and mercy, in love that unites the body, and--however flawed its humanity--a light for the nations to follow. When we look towards our future, it is right and necessary that we should ask, “who are we, and what is it that God is calling us to do here in this place?” I’m asking us to consider ourselves “witnesses to the resurrection”, because that is indeed who we are. A witness is not just someone who sees and does nothing. A witness must tell and testify to what he or she knows. A witness is active, not passive. Witness is dynamic, in the same way that our God is dynamic.

 

As a child and as a teen, I was privileged to be connected to some amazing acts of witness through the church communities in which I lived; I wanted to be a part of that joy. I wanted to continue to know the joy of life lived in service to others. Our children will want to know and live that life, too, if we continue to purposely connect them to the outreach we do from Basehor.

 

Last week I traveled to Haiti, and I saw our church active in the recovery there; we are connected to those who need Christ in Haiti. Next month we travel to the desperately poor area of Crow Creek Reservation in South Dakota and our church is active in love there; we are connected to those who need Christ in S.D. A couple of weeks ago I spent the morning at Central UMC in Kansas City, where our church is regularly active in ministry; we are connected to those who need the witness of our love in Kansas City. On Palm Sunday, 28 children marched joyously in our church, shouting Hosanna! Let me ask you: are there more than 28 children in the communities of Basehor, Bonner Springs, and Kansas City who need to be connected with the witness of Christ’s love and joy? God is calling you to invite them to be a part of what we have here: love, purpose, and a life of joy.