Rev. Fa Lane | April 14, 2024

Acts 3:12-19; Luke 24:36b-48

“Repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations. You are witnesses of these things.”
 

Both of the New Testament readings today highlight the importance of being a witness. Like the phrase we’ve seen on buses or trains: “if you see something, say something. Jesus reveals himself to the disciples after his resurrection as a way of saying, See me! See how God’s powerful love overcame even death! All so that we could understand nothing is impossible with God. And, when we see the miraculous happen, tell someone, give God the glory for it.



Peter tells those whom he is with on Solomon’s porch at the Temple, that the healing they had just seen was because God had glorified Jesus in whose name the man was healed. They had just witnessed the power of God to change a man’s life. Peter made sure they understood the credit belonged firmly to God.

In the Luke story, Jesus appears to the disciples in Jerusalem after his resurrection and it frightens them. They don’t understand and think they’re seeing a ghost. Jesus said to the disciples look at me, touch me! He even asked for food. Would a ghost ask for food?

We sometimes struggle to understand when Jesus shows up, why things work out the way they do. The Bible doesn’t say they actually touched Jesus but rather that they wondered what was happening. It was beyond their comprehension. I think Jesus wanted them (and he wants us) to realize that God has the ability to do what we think can’t be done.

I think it’s ok to allow ourselves some bewilderment when God does things in our lives. We don’t have to figure out meaning or devise explanations. We can acknowledge our modern understandings of science, and brilliant philosophical arguments. And, yet there may still be occurrences where we allow our minds to be blown, where we might be open and consider that we’re witnessing God at work.

I have had conversations with patients in the hospital that, in hindsight, I believe God was speaking through that person. Those individuals spoke to me in a way that wasn’t the normal course of a patient/chaplain conversation. At the time, I couldn’t understand it and now I wish I could remember it better. But I remember how I felt: like I was in a holy moment. Time stopped and my mind searched for understanding as the Holy Spirit held me captive. It was as though the words came from a different realm…not to sound too extraterrestrial. It took me a minute back then to realize what a unique encounter it was.

I’m telling you this because I think there are two sides of the coin with witnessing. We witness the opportunity. We identify a need. But we also witness how God is at work addressing that need. And we tell that story.

Let me share with you other holy moments that happen in our every day course of life. One close to home for example, is our beloved Sue VanSkiver, in her hasty move to Florida., She needed to get rid of all her furniture and furnishings. She wasn’t taking them with her. Her family has everything she needs.

 The day after making the decision to move, a friend from the apartment complex came with her young daughter to sell Girl Scout cookies which Sue bought. In their conversation, Sue asked the lady if she knew of anyone who would want her furniture. This lady, who has very little, was deeply grateful as she said she would take everything Sue didn’t want. Sue didn’t have to parcel it out. It was taken care of in one request. I think that was God showing up!

Let me put in a plug and mention that next month, our outreach focus will be on PA Furniture Mission where you can donate furniture you no longer want or need. So, God can redistribute to the wider community where there is need, just like in the Acts community in the Bible.

Here’s a story about an organization in St. Louis that helps fill in gaps for people in need and works on justice issues. The non-profit group is called PotBangerz. Their work is to fight injustice by uplifting the community leaders, meeting nutritional needs, helping unhoused families navigate their way to permanent housing, and advocating for them when they need it the most. 

They honor all lives with the mindset that when they have rebuilt and transformed the lives of their unhoused families, then they can say their mission is accomplished. 

We can see this need here in Lancaster County too. Just pay attention as you walk in Etown, you’ll see our siblings who are unhoused. I remind you that the Emergency Winter Shelter has closed now. But, many of those who were cared for in the shelter still need a safe place to live. There’s an opportunity. How can we help?

We live this out when we feed the homeless at First Reformed UCC in Lancaster. We’ll be serving in June, please go to see how God shows up in the sharing of kindness and a meal.

We see God showing up in our Habitat for Humanity workdays. Working alongside with potential future homeowners who give their sweat equity, we learn about people with different situations, experiences and backgrounds. Ariana told me that everyone who helps prepare a home gets excited about the chance to make a difference. This is where God’s power to overcome adversity is evident.

 There is more we can do. There are more ways to make a difference through our Teams of Service: our very active Mission Team, the Social Justice Team who can focus our energies on any number of issues such as eliminating inequity, providing mental health care for all, or advocating for civil rights; through the Green Team, we do Trash Pick Up days (there’s one next Saturday morning at 9am starting at the church) and in developing our relationship with Wittel Farm. The Outreach Committee encourages helping others through our giving and spiritual support.

I hope that each one of you will consider how God is nudging you to see a need and help meet it. This is how we can bear witness for people are hurting AND then share the story of God’s presence, the God-incidences that we see. If you see something; say something.

Next weekend, the Messy Church families are going to learn more about God’s miraculous work in creation. How the earth transforms leftover fruits, vegetables and brown materials into rich heathy soil. We will also plant seeds. I hope over weeks and into late summer, the children will visit the gardens to witness the miracle of plant growth and generation of delicious produce that we can eat and share. What a way to witness God showing up miraculously!

These vegetables are donated to food distribution sites all throughout Lancaster County so that families who struggle to afford fresh food can get them. One distribution site is the Community Cupboard on Washington St. We have friends in this church who are blessed by this outreach ministry. I hope that some of you might cover some of their volunteer positions and learn just how powerful God’s love is when we decide to be present with our neighbors.

I believe it is the mysterious, transforming power of God that brings volunteers, caretakers, organizers together where there is need. Holy moments are all around us if we look for them; if we let them catch our attention. Opportunities are abundant if we have the heart to seek them. Sometimes we shy away; we don’t let God show us where we could make a difference. But, God pursues us, warms our heart, bothers our conscious, gives us ideas. When that happens, please say yes to the Holy Invitation and be a witness for God’s work in the world. Amen.