Blogging Towards Sunday

This week there is an interesting series of readings to choose from. I've chosen to focus on Acts 1:6-14 which isn't quite the story of the Ascension, yet overlaps with that pericope.
This week I find myself being struck by two phrases, Jesus' directive that "you will" and the question "why?"
On the surface it makes perfectly good sense for Jesus, as he's about to return to God, to give a pep talk to his disciples by informing them that they will be his disciples in all of Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth. How much more encouragement could you need? Here Jesus, the one who conquered death, is telling you, no directing you to be the witness to his gospel of good news to all the world. Yet what's the first reaction of the disciples - to stare up at heaven (the sky). It isn't to run down the mountain side and start witnessing. Why is that? Why is it that Jesus' final pep talk, one that commissions all those present into an active ministry, doesn't immediately result in action? Could it be that perhaps the first response by the disciples was "Oh Crap! I have to be a witness to the whole world - I mean look at what our own people did to Jesus!" I think that's why the disciples were standing there staring up into the sky - not because they were awe struck or humbled by the experience or groping with how to process it - they were dumbfounded, literally frozen in place, because of the enormity of the mission that Jesus had given to them. I mean how do you begin to witness to the whole world and you know, that's the mission that's been handed down to us. You and I are called, directed, commissioned to be Jesus' witnesses to the world and I think when that sinks in most of us respond with "Oh Crap!" and never move beyond that point. I think it's the reason why so many congregation can't articulate a vision and the mission they are trying to live out. I think it's one part of the reason why so many congregations are immobilized by their history. I think it's one of the reasons why so few of us actively live out our faith in a way that shares that faith with others. I think, that like the disciples in Acts, its easier to look to the past and say "there was a time" and justify our current inaction based on the success and laurels of past generations. That approach is comfortable. It's easy. Yet to that approach the two men in white ask us why? Why do you try to bear witness to Christ by looking in the rear view mirror? Why do you try to witness by listing what you and others have already done? Why aren't you doing something now?!? Because it scares us, because its an awesome responsibility, because we think we don't have the talent or the time or the training, because we might mess it up, because we want to be a huge instant success - that's why.
And yet, Jesus didn't say, "you will be my witnesses and meet with instant success the likes of which the world has never seen and then be able to pack it all in an retire." Instead, Jesus calls us into an active engagement with the world wherein each of us bears witness to Christ with the best of our abilities - through prayer - and by the power of the Holy Spirit so that the gospel of Christ spreads around the world as you and I live it out authentically in the everyday moments of our lives.
We will be witnesses! Why? Because that is one aspect of what it means to be disciples, to be followers of Christ and to revel God to others.