|
[Jesus said:] “…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.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.
Dear Church Hill Faith Family,
In the Book of Acts, the last thing that Jesus says to the disciples before He ascends to heaven is that they will receive power from the Holy Spirit and will be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The mission of the church begins in Jerusalem, the holy city, the center of Jewish life and faith. It begins among those who, like the disciples, are devout Jews and who share their basic view of the world. Jerusalem is the place where the disciples are most comfortable. From Jerusalem, the mission of the church expands outside of the disciples’ comfort zone into Judea and Samaria. That is, the mission of the church extends to people who don’t look like the disciples and whose life experience is different from theirs. If our Jerusalem, our comfort zone is the South Shore then maybe our Judea and Samaria may be another region of the United States where we share a common identity as Americans but are very different in many other respects which makes dialogue difficult.
Ultimately, the disciples are charged to share the good news of the great love of Jesus Christ to those who are the most excluded and forgotten and derided by the world. This is what is meant by witnessing to Christ “to the ends of the earth”. It is also worth noting that sharing God’s love with those on the margins is not optional for Christians. Jesus says, “you will be my witnesses…”.
We aren’t capable of witnessing to the inexhaustible love of Jesus in the face of the fierce opposition of a hostile world by our own strength. It is the Spirit Who empowers us and propels us forward, giving us courage we wouldn’t have otherwise. Whenever we find ourselves feeling weak and weary, whenever we are uncertain and afraid, God is as present to us as our own pulse through the Spirit. We do not have to figure things out all on our own. We have access to the empowering and enlightening presence of the Spirit Who transforms us into the people who God desires us to be.
In Christ,
Pastor Nicholas
| 
