We Are The Witnesses by Cheri Holdridge (with an assist by Patti Lusher)

I feel sorry for the disciples. They get a bad rap. They get portrayed as simple minded bungling idiots who got to spend so much time with Jesus and never seemed to get it right. Today’s story is one more example. They don’t fare well in today’s reading.

They are doubters. The women have come back from the tomb with the miraculous news that Jesus has risen from the dead, but the male disciples? Well, they are skeptical. Anything could have happened. The body could have been stolen for one. A bodily resurrection? Come on.

Then two of them are walking on the Road to Emmaus and it happens. They meet the risen Jesus, and they do not even recognize him. I mean how stupid can you get? This is your best friend! Your teacher. He walks up to you and asks what you are talking about and you say: “Mister you must be the only one in Jerusalem who has not heard about what happened in the last few days.” And then they tell Jesus all about Jesus and how he was a great teacher and then he was crucified and taken to a tomb and how the women went to the tomb and found it empty. But some of the men went back to the tomb and did not see Jesus.

Then he calls them “thick-headed! and slow-hearted!” He says: “Why can’t you simply believe all that the prophets said? Don’t you see that these things had to happen, that the Messiah had to suffer and only then enter into his glory?” Then he started at the beginning, with the Books of Moses, and went on through all the Prophets, pointing out everything in the Scriptures that referred to him.”

They got to Emmaus and Jesus looked like he was going to walk on but they asked him to come have a meal with them. Finally when he sat down at the table and took some break and broke it and blessed it, they recognized him. But then he disappeared.

Don’t you feel sorry for those disciples? How could they be so unaware? So full of doubt that they had no clue they were with Jesus? I suppose grief might do that to a person. Grief is a powerful force.

So these men were convinced and went to tell the other disciples. They said, “We have seen Jesus.” And suddenly Jesus appeared in the room with them and said, “Peace be with you.” They were scared half to death and thought he was a ghost, but he said, “Here, touch me and see that I am flesh and bones.” But the scripture says: “They still couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was too much; it seemed too good to be true.”

He asked for some food so they gave him some fish and he ate it. Then he began to teach them again. “Everything I told you while I was with you comes to this: All the things written about me in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms have to be fulfilled.”

He showed them how to read their Bibles. “He said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations…. You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses.”

You’re the witnesses. When I read this it frightens me. Jesus left the whole mission to this rag tag bunch of disciples. The whole future of the church is left to these doubters who could not even recognize Jesus when he walked right up to them.

How could he trust them? One had betrayed him. Another had denied him. All had deserted him at the cross. Then they had doubted the resurrection. They had been afraid of him when he stood right in front of them.

And yet, Jesus just kept teaching. He never stopped teaching. He never stopped trusting them with the most important message in history.

He said: “Your life can change because God forgives all your sins. From this moment on, you belong to God.” That is the message. “God loves you and your life can be better.”

Jesus told them, “You are my witnesses.” And now “We are the witnesses.” We are the only mouths Jesus has on this earth.

It is our job to tell people the good news: “Your life can change because God forgives all your sins.”

Do you believe that? Do you believe that God forgives all your sins? All your brokenness? All your shortcomings? God loves you and forgives you. You can have a new start today, at this very moment. That is the gift of the resurrection. That is the message that Jesus came back to tell the disciples one last time.  You can start over.

Knowing that message, we are to share that message with others. Who do you know who needs to hear that message? Do you have a friend who is discouraged? A brother or sister who is in despair? Do you know someone who is doubting his own self-worth? Do you know someone who does not love herself?

I know it sounds scary to share your faith with someone. But we share good ideas with others all the time. We recommend a great restaurant, a good new movie we just saw. We recommend the fitness center or the new workout routine we are using. We give referrals for a plumber or an electrician.

Doesn’t it seem a bit odd that we would not share a recommendation about the most important thing in our lives? Our trust in God. God is the one who lifts us up when we fall down. God is the one who heals our sorrows. God is the one who forgives us and helps us to feel whole again. Why would we keep that a secret? Why would we hide this great resource from our friends and co-workers?

I know, you don’t want to sound like a crazy Bible thumper. You don’t want to be pushy. But it’s not pushy to say, “God loves you and God wants you to have a joy filled life.” It’s a gift.

I remember so many conversations I have had with people. I say something like this to them: “God wants you to have joy in your life. God made you and God loves you.” It often brings tears to a person’s eyes, and such a sense of relief. They are suffering and it is a relief to know that God still loves them.

You don’t have to be a pastor to tell someone that God loves them. Anyone can do that. It is a gift. A precious gift. Way more valuable than a restaurant recommendation.

Here at The Village we want to give you a chance to practice telling your story. So our Retreat this year is called “Tell the Story.” The retreat is May 2nd from 9:30 am to 3 pm. The details are in the program. I hope you will attend. Karen and Lisa who are leading it promise it will be fun.

We are the witnesses. We are the ones who tell the people out there that God loves them. We are the only voice that Jesus has in the world today. If we don’t tell the story, who is going to tell it?

We may feel like those first disciples. We may have days of doubt and uncertainty. But then we come together here, to hear the good news. We are forgiven. We are blessed. God loves us. God walks with us through the difficult times. And God lifts us up because God wants us to have lives of joy. This is our story. It’s a story worth sharing. We are witnesses. So let’s go and tell that story. Amen.