Rev. Dr. Pam Keckler

Key Verses:  “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.” Acts 1:1-11

“I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that…with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you…” Ephesians 1:15-23

As Jesus prepared to ascend to God 40 days after the Resurrection, he ordered the disciples to remain in Jerusalem and wait for the promised Holy Spirit. After the ascension, the disciples returned to Jerusalem, where they were “constantly devoting themselves to prayer.” The scripture in Acts picks up the story of this gathering of Jesus’ followers wondering what they do next. Jesus says it’s not the time to worry about what’s next, what will happen to the kingdom, who will be in charge, etc. He says the only thing they need to know: “But you will receive power (from the Holy Spirit) and you will be my witnesses. All Jesus needs is a few good witnesses. Just a few. But they must be willing and ready; they must be filled with the Holy Spirit, and most importantly they must have hope. Not just any kind of hope, but the hope to which God has called you, which you are to give to others. In other words…God wants A Few Good Witnesses…Looking for Hope.

What it means to be a witness…the one who goes before, who tells it like it is, honestly, with integrity, like in court…to live our life as a witness.
It was the last statement from Jesus, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses.” It’s as if Jesus said, “Okay, folks. I’ve done all that I can to prepare you for what you’re supposed to do next. Now get to work!”

As Jesus ascends, he ceases to be a visible, tangible presence, but he promises the Spirit to be with all. And that reality is next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, to what happens in Jerusalem.

So I think I can be a witness and so can you. But how can I be a witness looking for hope around me? With the weight of this difficult economic time we are all experiencing in different ways, it’s so easy to give up; to worry more; to be sad; whether we’re dealing with it individually or through families or friends or the company where you may work. How much more can we handle? And…just when I think it’s getting better, I read another story about families having challenges.

One family said, “It’s like the solid ground beneath you turned to water. Like you woke up in a world you find unrecognizable. Like you are sick. The uncertainty is the worst. It makes you feel like you’re suffocating. The anger, the sadness – you just get to the point where you can’t breathe.” (Chicago Tribune, May 23, 2009).

If we’re to be a witness, looking for hope, where do we find that hope?
Sometimes you just have to look deep…in other people and their lives.
I read several stories this past week of hopefulness and I would like to share three of them with you.

FIRST STORY   
  Did you hear about the banker in Washington who saved the baby ducklings?
The mother built the nest 15 feet off the ground, which Joel Armstrong, a bank loan officer saw from his window each day, as he kept track of the happenings of this little home. One morning he looked out and saw that a dozen babies had hatched and the mother duck was trying to get the babies to follow her. But being a day old, they were unable to fly yet and too scared to follow the mother. All the babies were lined up on the ledge ready to follow the first one’s lead, who was the one that jumped and didn’t land so well. So Joel ran outside to cushion the fall for the rest of the ducklings. He caught each one with his hands. As one reporter said, “Joel talked an entire family of baby ducklings off the ledge.”
The last few ducklings were too timid to jump, so Joel got a ladder and carried them down. He and his co-workers later escorted the feathered family on a two- block march to the river for their first swim. Can you picture the witness? Can you picture the hope?   (Google – Washington newspaper – week of May 13, 2009)

SECOND STORY
It’s called the Saddest Acre in America--Section 60 – in Arlington National Cemetery, where America’s most recent war dead lie in a quiet patch of fresh dirt. Over 485 men and women who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan are buried here. This is where our first US nurse was killed since Vietnam. As sad as this place is, there is hope emerging as a sense of community has formed with those family members who visit the graves and share stories with one another. Many leave familiar tokens on the gravesites or put down flowers. 

What’s happened recently is that visitors of all faiths and religions have picked up the ancient Jewish tradition of leaving a small stone or pebble on the headstones to show that a visitor has been to the grave. The widows and widowers have drawn strength from items they find and from being with others who are grieving and hurting. They’ve formed friendships and now care for their families and children. (CNN – May 23, 2009 – story online)

Can you picture the witness of the visitors who visit and leave a gift?
Can you feel the hope the families have with each other?

THIRD STORY
 Seven friends ready to graduate from a college in Michigan were clear about one thing. They wanted to stay together once they graduated. “We just wanted to be with these people. So we decided to pick a city and move to it.” They finally chose to live in a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, where they thought they might make a difference. They didn’t know what they would do. Their only clear mission was a commitment to social justice. So they went around the local neighborhood and asked the neighbors what they wanted most. The majority of them said,
 “We want a place to hang out with our friends and neighbors.”

 The group of friends decided to start a community coffeehouse and serve organic coffee and fair trade foods and drinks. They opened an art gallery in their building for locals, as well as a bookstore called “Borrowing Bookshelf”. The motto is “Bring a book, take a book.” Nothing is sold at this bookstore. Their only goal is to make enough money to be sustainable and use any extra to do positive things. One person said, “This is our dream…and it’s happening.” (Online story of hope. 2008)

A few good witnesses…looking for hope. All wanting to make a difference.

How do we look for hope?

Start little. Start with your life – your neighborhood – your family. Read stories of hope to get inspired.  

How do we give hope away? By listening and helping others. Is there some way you and only you can help someone because of your unique gifts, your individual skills, your time, your money, your love?  

Romans 5:5 says this: “And hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

You will be my witnesses. One thing Jesus cannot do is to be his own witness. So Jesus needed us. We are so valuable. We are needed. We are important. 

Maybe it’s time we get our instructions and go do our job, as a witness.

Jesus just needs a few good witnesses…looking for hope.
Will you be one?  Amen.