7th Sunday of Easter (Acts 1:6-14)  6/5/2011

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Many years ago, my first extended time at sea during my service aboard a submarine was spent in the North Atlantic Sea. The journey to the North Atlantic took several days and once the submarine had arrived at its operation area there were not many circumstances that were important enough to cause the submarine to leave its assigned area. But there was one occasion when a Chief Petty Officer’s son was so ill the Navy called the submarine out of its area in order to send the Chief home to be with his son and his family. We left the northern operation area and proceeded to the coast of Norway to meet the Norwegian Coast Guard, who would take the Chief back to shore so he could fly home. When we arrived in the Norwegian Sea, we were met with a blinding snowstorm and large waves – the transfer did not look promising. However, after a few moments of waiting at the rendezvous point we saw the lights of the Coast Guard ship in the distance. We were all amazed to see that shortly after the ship arrived we spotted a small zodiac boat heading toward the submarine. The Chief and the topside crew made their way to the surface of the submarine. The small zodiac boat was soon alongside the submarine, waiting to receive the Chief. As the snow continued to come down sideways and the waves continued to pitch the small boat up and down as it rested against the submarine, the Chief leaned forward, peering into the small boat that waited for him just a few feet away, but he just could not bring himself to jump into the boat. The Chief was frozen; frozen from the cold snow and frozen with fear and anticipation. Is this the time? His son was sick, his family needed him at home; the zodiac boat continued to rock back and forth and the Chief stood wondering – is this the time?

“Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6b) Like the Chief Petty Officer, the disciples have likewise experienced a challenging time in their lives. They ask Jesus, “is this the time when you will restore the kingdom…” We hear from this verse of Acts that there is a lot of expectation on what Jesus will do next for them and when exactly will Jesus begin to act. We should understand that for the disciples, life after Easter has not been very easy. They have continued to learn and grow in their confidence as Jesus continued to come to them in the days after Easter, but they still have questions and their expectations of the future appear to rest in Jesus’ actions alone. The apostles have come together and they are ready for Jesus to start making sense of all these events; they are ready for Jesus to bring about the kingdom of Israel. “Lord, is this the time…” and what will you do next, Jesus? Perhaps we should not blame the disciples for their question: deciding to step out on your own and use your gifts can be challenging, especially if we seek to use our gifts for ministry in ways that force us to let go and trust that God will be in the midst of all that we do.

Jesus’ response to his disciples completely reframes their question: “It is not for you know the times or periods that the Father has set.” (Acts 1:7) In response to the disciples’ question, “Lord, is this the time,” Jesus responds, “Don’t worry about what time it is” and then adds an important lesson, “but get going into the world and be witnesses to the works of God.” Jesus’ response has turned everything back to the disciples…there are many things to be done in the world and Jesus will act, but he will act through the actions of his followers, who will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ has empowered his followers to his witnesses in the world. Jesus tells his disciples that they will be his witnesses and he does not mean “witness” in the legal definition that we might think (one who sees something and can testify to what has happened); no, Jesus is speaking of a witness as a person who takes action in ways that reveal the one who sent them. The Greek word for witness shares the same root as the word “martyr:” meaning one who acts with such courage that even death cannot prevent them from taking action. The power and courage to be a witness to Christ is given and sustained through the Holy Spirit. Christ promised his disciples, and he promises us as well, that we have been given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Comforter who strengthens us in our moments of concern and in the moments that we hesitate to leap forward and share our gifts as witnesses to Christ.

As the snow and the waves continued, the Chief Petty Officer continued to stare at the rocking boat before him, frozen and afraid to leap forward. The Captain of the ship had waited long enough and called up to the Executive Officer, who was in charge of the transfer crew. The Captain said, “Come on, give the Chief a swift kick in the backside and let’s get going.” A few anxious moments passed and the phone rang down below in the Control Center. The Executive Officer reported that the Chief was safely in the boat and all was well. The Captain was impressed that everything moved so quickly after his phone call and asked the Executive Officer what he said to the Chief to give him the courage to finally jump into the boat. The Executive Officer responded, “I didn’t say anything to the Chief. I gave him a swift kick in the backside and he went flying into the hands of the Norwegians!” The Chief safely made the trip home to be with his family and thankfully his son fully recovered from his illness. Christ calls each of us to leap forward and share our gifts with others. Christ calls each of us to be witnesses of God’s work in the world. There will be times that sharing our gifts (our skills, our talents) will appear to be as challenging as jumping into a small moving boat on a frosty snow-driven night, but we have been given the power of the Holy Spirit; the power of God that grants us strength and comfort to know that we are not alone in our journey. May you find strength in the power of the Holy Spirit and know that this is the time to go forth to the ends of the earth as witnesses of Jesus Christ. AMEN.