More of the Story: What Now?

(Jesus) said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~ Acts 1:7-8

 Don't mistake activity with achievement. ~ John Wooden


The resurrection was not a one and done event.

 The action of resurrection itself was not the greatest achievement.

 The achievement lay in how God through resurrection would spread the Kingdom of God beyond the borders of the Judean community.

 The achievement lay in the restoration and reconciliation of all things.

 And that's something that takes time.

 We celebrate the resurrection rightly. But we often mistake it - as well as Jesus' death on the cross - for the ends of of the story.

 Believe in the resurrection and you will be saved.

 Believe Jesus died for your sins.

 But if that's all there is to it, then what does it leave us with? Are those things we simply have to give intellectual assent to?

 What does it tell us about our part in being witnesses to the ends of the earth?

 Are we just witnessing the events of death and resurrection, or are we witnessing the loving power of the Kingdom of God?

 A Kingdom that is not simply some heaven beyond, but one that, as John the Baptist and Jesus both claimed, had come near.

 That God's kingdom was breaking into this world, not simply the sweet by and by.

 That resurrection is part of this life, not simply something we are waiting for later.

 What happens next when we have a resurrected life? 

 Ask anyone who has been part of AA and made amends for their past.

 Ask anyone who after prison has become a fully healed and functioning member of society.

 Ask anyone who has come back from losing a loved one to violence and used that to teach peace.

 Ask anyone who has left a life of White Supremacy behind to work with racially diverse groups to promote hope and inclusion of all.

 God offers resurrected life now. And we get to be witnesses to that.
Prayer: Resurrect in love those parts of myself Lord that keep me from spreading your Kingdom. Amen.

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