The Power of Witness

He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." (Acts 1:7-8) The kind of witnesses Jesus is sending out are sent out with power. Now we all have power of one sort or another. The power to choose our reactions and responses. The power to speak or remain silent; to act or refrain. The power to force and abuse, but also the power to respect boundaries and seek justice, to apologize and offer forgiveness, hospitality, and grace. The power Jesus used and gives is not the sort that forces or abuses. Jesus' kingdom is not a kingdom of armies and boundary-transgressors, it is a kingdom ruled by the one who humbled Himself to death on a cross, letting someone else (namely: the Father) vindicate, raise, and enthrone Him. It is a kingdom that looks like a bit of yeast or some mustard seeds. Nothing formidable. Yet if you're not careful, yeast can permeate a whole batch of dough and mustard trees can grow through a garden. So moves the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth: through the use of seemingly benign witnesses. People put up defenses when an army threatens, but most just shrug and say thanks when told, "I'll pray for you." Yet if witnesses are empowered by Jesus and the Spirit, the second is in fact, the larger threat to the status quo—the prayers, not the impressive show of force. The one who empowers us to speak His word, work in His name, and come before Him in prayer is not subject to political turnover or polarized divisions. No: the kingdom of God is everywhere present at all times, as is our King. We're on home turf anywhere on this Earth: for it all belongs to the God who made it. We're always connected to the one who empowers us. He is with us, He is within us, and all the paths we tread belong to Him. We witnesses may not look like much, but the One we look to and the One we hopefully look more and more like is more than up to the job. The power we have been given to witness and participate in the life of Jesus is not diminished when we walk out the door of the church building and scatter back into our daily lives. If anything, in the wilderness of God's wide world we find ourselves discovering anew that He is with us still—His unimpressively scattered flock. He empowers and encourages us to be witnesses where we are: offering the power we have received of prayer, forgiveness, hospitality, and grace in humility, even to the end of the age and even to the ends of the earth. Thanks be to the God who accomplishes this power of witness through His power at work in us.