"Be a Witness"

So…

Years and years ago, my parents and my sister Sue and I went to Alleghany State Park as a family vacation. 

This was all before my sister Nancy was born. 

We all packed into a little red Plymouth Valiant, got an efficiency cabin and went and saw all the sights, including the Ranger’s Fire Tower, the Alleghany Indian reservation of the Seneca Indians, went swimming, and even went to a show at the park’s amphitheater!

That’s where the park staff led us in an interactive story, where all 100 or so of us had to add sounds to the story of Dudley Do-Right the Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman.

We made train noises, helpless cries for the damsel in distress, Nell Fenwick, and we all had to hiss and boo when Snidely Whiplash the bad guy’s name was mentioned. 

It was so much fun!

Can you all hiss and boo? Good job!

So, that is the precursor to the question I must ask today based on our scripture lesson about Being a Disciple – specifically being a witness.

What is happening in your life right now that you are so excited about, you talk about it incessantly?
Because, let’s face it, there is nothing in life that is easier to do than to talk about something that has happened to you that is way cool!

So, one of the way cool things that is happening in my life is that I am retiring! Yeah, now is the time to boo and hiss! 

It’s all coming together!

But even though I am excited – and I am – to be at this stage in my life, I have to add this proviso: I am both excited and terrified!

Because you all are not just like family - you are family.

And I absolutely love our weekly and sometimes biweekly and sometimes everyday reunions, just saying! And to not have that family time just is going to suck.

But, you understand, there are times and seasons in every life, and in every family, and in every community, when things change.

All but the call to God’s people, the followers of Jesus, to be a witness! That never changes! Why? Because being a witness is who we are now!

So, what is happening in your life right now that you are excited about? Because what you are excited about you talk about!

The story of the Samaritan woman who comes to the well in the middle of the day to avoid the other - perhaps a bit judgy - women in her town and finds Jesus, is so much an architype story of being a witness.

She stumbles into Jesus at the well, and he shares with her some really good news. She has just met the Messiah, and he is loving, and accepting, and too cool for school.

And what does she do? She goes and finds all those perhaps judgy people in her life and joyously introduces them to Jesus!!!

She is over the moon with excitement. She talks and talks and talks!

And Jesus just smiles! Welcome home, my child!

For those of you who have been here forever – like for example Bettsye Hunter who has been a member here for 68 years, and a host of others who have been here almost as long – this is family!

That describes our relationship!

But our purpose – that is our calling – is so much more important!

We as disciples - are to be witnesses! 

Not like Sargeant Joe Friday of the Dragnet TV show a million years ago with the “just the facts, Ma’am”! But rather with a testimony, that is a story, a simple retelling of what Jesus means to us.

Imagine that woman back in town to telling everyone who would listen, and perhaps a few who really didn’t want to, all about how Jesus was the Messiah a fulfillment of the scriptures and even though he Jewish and she was a Samaritan, he was open to talking to her, and…

Wow! 
She ran back and said breathlessly to everyone, “he knows me and he forgives me and he wants me to come and follow him! Could he be the Messiah? Come and see”!

Being invited into a family that wants you, that wants to love you and help you grow and thinks you are wonderfully and delightfully made is just the best thing ever!

Just ask the folks who only recently have become part of this family. If we had not been looking for others to come and join us, we would have never met each other.

And yet, we love being together, and we don’t care one iota what baggage you come with, and we are working really hard to make sure the door is open so more folks get a chance to be just as delighted to be part of the funny farm here – all because we all want to follow Jesus, together!

And we are the witnesses of all of it!

But that does mean that sometimes in following our calling we will end up in different places doing different things.

With Easter coming and that retirement party, some folks from far away may show up. 

Some of them are from Sue’s family and some are from mine. My sister Sue and her husband Sanjay, and their three adult children are planning to be here: Jay, Nikki, and Arun, for Easter.

And some folks might be here who sat in these pews years and years ago. 
Now, they may live across the country, but they are still family.

And one hopes, clear about our calling, the purpose of our gatherings, our community, our work on behalf of Jesus in this world – being witnesses.

Because that is everything. Got it?

Amen.