The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
Jesus said to his disciples: "You will receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and to the
ends of the earth." {Lk. 1:8}
When I was 19 years old, I was invited to attend a free cookout at a beach party,
sponsored by an evangelical church in Boston. After much swimming and eating,
we all gathered together to listen to a few college students witness to their
faith in Christ. I was stunned by how articulate they were; how easy it was
for them to speak about their spiritual journey. Later, I found out that these
students had not spoken "off the cuff" but were specifically chosen
at an earlier time and had practiced their "speech" for this particular
beach party. Personally, their stories, their experiences, their piety, their
upbringing, were so different from mine, that their witness did little to impact
my own life.
Today, we live in a multi-cultural, pluralistic, post-Christian society. How
can we witness to the Good News in Christ, is a way that is effective, compelling,
comprehensive and life giving to people of the 21st century? This is the subject
of today's sermon. I will use the reading from the Book of Acts as my text.
The Book of Acts is actually Volume II of a two-volume series. Volume I is the
Gospel of Luke which contains the story, the words, the works, the teachings
and spirit of Jesus. The same author continues the story in Volume II, The Book
of Acts. In this volume, we read about the experience and expansion of the early
Christian Church. Verse 8 summarizes its contents: "You will receive power
when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem
and to the ends of the earth."
In today's Gospel story, Jesus is handing over the baton to his closest disciples.
His earthly ministry is over. He will no longer be around to lead, to teach,
to inspire, to witness to God. It is now up to his disciples to put on the mantel
and to witness to the truth to the ends of the earth. The word witness comes
from the Greek word, martyreo, the root of which is martyr. To witness means
to tell the truth, to affirm, to furnish prove, to stand up for one's convictions,
to make known to others "the good news in Christ." Some people who
have witnessed the truth have been killed. In English, we call these people
martyrs. But not all people who witness to the truth end up dead. Most of them
simply offer abundant life to others by striving for peace, dignity, inclusivity,
justice, compassion, and wholeness. How we witness today, is perhaps different
from earlier times or other contexts. What kind of truths do we need to speak
to today's world? What is life giving news that Jesus has to offer? Let's look
at a few examples.
Last week, St. Jude's rented out its parish hall to Monte Vista High, whose
students used the facility to take advanced placement tests. As they filed out
of the parish hall for a break, I noticed that they were a nice group of kids;
a bit tired however from the test taking. I began to reflect on the merits and
disadvantages of taking advanced placement courses in high school. I began to
wonder why anyone would put an additional burden on himself or herself in high
school when they could take these courses in college. Why would teenagers give
up precious time from being with their friends, enjoying their high school years,
in order to be one step ahead of the other students? Was success or academic
achievement a higher value than relationships or peace of mind?
As I was pondering this dilemma, Pastor Mary told me of a Monte Vista student
who had not done well in the SATs last year. Her parents were dismayed and made
her study harder for the next round of SATs. Over a three-day weekend, during
which her family went away on vacation, she was forced to stay home and study.
When the family returned, they found the daughter dead, with a plastic bag tied
around her head.
Jesus said: "Let the little children come to me, and do not stop them;
for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs." {Mt. 19}
Jesus said: "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you
will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food,
and the body more than clothing? But strive first for the kingdom of God and
its righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."
{Mt. 6}
On Wednesday evening, I watched a film clip about the increase in cosmetic surgery
in China. Many young Chinese women (who have the money) are having their eyes
altered so that they are more rounded in the corners. Young Chinese men are
having their chins augmented so that they protrude more and make their faces
appear more angular. These people claim that having cosmetic surgeries that
make them look more like "Westerners" increase their chances for better
job opportunities and marriage prospects.
"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. God created humankind
in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created
them. God blessed them and saw everything that he had made- and indeed, it was
very good." {Gen. 1}
St. Paul said: "You are God's temple and God's Spirit dwells in you. God's
temple is holy and you are that temple." {1 Cor 3}
Six years ago, on the morning of June 18, arsonists attacked three Sacramento
area synagogues. The fires destroyed thousands of books and historical holocaust
documents. Amidst the debris were anti-Semitic propaganda fliers. This shook
the foundation of the Jewish community as well as horrified people of all faiths
and backgrounds.
Jesus said: "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just
as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." {Jn
13}
Jesus said: You are to love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your
neighbor as yourself. Do this and you will live." {Lk.10}
Each day, 6000 children worldwide die from hunger. Millions of people have no
access to sanitation, health care, shelter, or school. They shout, but nobody
hears them. They sleep outside, yet nobody sees them. They ask for opportunities,
but nobody answers their prayers. They are called the poor, the marginalized,
the forgotten. Too many governments (elected freely by the people) are making
informed, deliberate choices that engender the cycle and prevalence of poverty.
Poverty does not come from nowhere; war doesn't emerge from nothing; economic
practices are not accidental. These are our choices and these choices are destroying
society.
Jesus said: "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth
and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves
treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves
do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart
be also." {Mt. 6}
Jesus said: "You that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom. For
I was hungry and you gave me food. I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you gave me clothing.
I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me. Just
as you did it to the least of these, you did it to me." {Mt. 25}
Each day, we have the choice of either witnessing to God's truth or keeping
our heads in the sand and saying nothing. We witness by the way we treat our
children, our friends, our families, those who are of different races, creeds,
and colors. We witness by way we treat our enemies, the poor, the rich, the
suffering, those with mental illnesses, the homely, the isolated. We witness
through our value system, our ethics, our political positions. We witness by
how we spend our time, our talents, our money. We witness when we say no to
hate crimes, internalized racism, poverty, and violence. We witness when we
challenge the system and say no to unrealistic expectations of our children
and overworked employees. Witnessing is a 24/7 day operation that has life giving
implications.
The spirit of Western Culture and philosophy is not the same as the Sprit of
God. The Sprit of Western philosophy is one of individualism, self-certainty,
self-possession, self-production, and the domination people and of nature. The
Spirit of God is just the opposite. The Spirit of God is selfless, self-giving,
sacrificial, communal, and humble. In this kingdom, the last shall be first
and the first shall be last. The death of Christ puts an end to the cycle of
revenge and calls into question any cooperation with a system that returns evil
for evil. So, how do we become faithful witnesses?
First, we need to open ourselves up to the power of the Holy Spirit through
prayer & through practice of the spiritual disciplines. Our egos are too
misinformed and wounded to direct us with enough clarity. In today's climate,
it is very difficult to be formed by the virtues and practices of the Christian
faith. This is because we spend such little time in Christian formation, but
so much time in front of violent television programming, or reading local newspapers
filled with gossip, fashion advertisements, and reports of pathological crime.
The Christian story can be easily overshadowed by the avalanche of cultural
voices that point us in the opposite direction. Training to become a disciple
of Christ needs become a priority if we are to be faithful, life-giving witnesses.
Next, we need to lift our voices and speak the truth to false doctrines. Bruce
Horn was telling me about a darling little boy in his kindergarten class. His
mother was frantic because he was only achieving at an average level. It was
not acceptable to her that her child was "just average" and she was
plotting and planning ways to make him achieve at higher levels. In his kind
and compassionate way, Bruce told the mother to take care of this wonderful
little boy, and rejoice in his being. As the bar gets higher and higher, more
and more children are being thrown to the wolves.
Finally, we need to put our values and ethics into concrete practice. I was
delighted to hear a recent story about one of our feeding teams who put on a
meal for the mentally challenged people at Julian Street. There are so many
needs in the world. So much loneliness, suffering, depression, and struggling
folks. Witnessing the good news in Christ means to stretch out our hands, within
our sphere, to reach out with acts of compassion to those who long to hear and
experience God's life saving words.
"O God, do not leave us comfortless, but send us your Holy Spirit to strengthen
us, and exalt us to that place where our Savior Christ has gone before."
{BCP 226}
| Updated /5/14/05 |
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