In the common room of a ward for adults suffering from psychiatric afflictions, a patient recently got up and proclaimed, ‘I am Jesus Christ!’ Now messianic thoughts like this are not uncommon among this population, so no one paid much attention. That is, until a second man stood up and said, ‘I am Jesus Christ!’ Then, just as the supervisor began to take notice, a third man stood up and proclaimed, ‘I am Jesus Christ!’ All three, then, began to debate. As the argument rose in volume and intensity the quick-thinking supervisor jumped to her feet and separated the three, then instantly restored calm by declaring, ‘This argument will be easy to settle because, as we all know, Jesus’ was best known for preaching peace.’

“Jesus #peace” is the main identity you and I will encounter this Sunday when He appears (for a second Sunday in a row!) to a roomful of startled disciples. You and I note that He doesn’t condemn them for their fear, but accommodates them. Instead of berating them for their nimble faith, Jesus offers proof that He is who He says He is, then declares that repentance and forgiveness will be proclaimed by this group, whom He declares as His “witnesses.”

Sure the word ‘witness,’ used in a religious context, might frighten us. We conjure up images of open-air preachers insulting passers-by and weirdoes handing out literature in public places. But then we remember how we ‘bear witness’ to people all the time. Many of us can’t shut up about great movies or new TV programs, killer clothing stores, snappy websites, and clever smartphone apps.  Actually, we ‘bear witness’ all the time - telling others about the things that matter to us.

Bearing witness, then, as Jesus seems to suggest, is little more than talking about where we sense God at work. It is about sharing the things that are important to us - telling others about how we observe God operating in our world. Witnessing is not an act of persuasion, it is an act of peace – remember, Jesus #peace.

So, where is God at work in our lives? What are our ‘God moments?’ Do we talk about them? Not to sound ’religious’ – but as a natural part of who we are – who we want to be – or who we’re called to be?

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Reading

Jerusalem and Rome – Martin Goodman

Hypatia – Charles Kingsley

Making Sense of Scripture - David Lose

Ever wonder why we can’t get out of this rut?

Maybe it’s a question you’ve asked as you went to the same job, in the same place, after leaving the same house and the same family so often it feels like life has no more zest. Why do I feel stuck, wedged, and jammed into a slot that’s getting more and more uncomfortable?

Feeling stuck is often an ironic result of lives constructed to help us feel the opposite. We crave freedom and fulfillment, often as a product of our deepest fears around security, abandonment, and acceptance. These fears can often be at the heart of the big choices we make surrounding work, home, and family. And as we construct lifestyles to assuage these feelings we build frameworks, habits, and traditions that form ruts.

This Sunday, we meet a disciple who’s in a rut. His name is Thomas, as in doubting Thomas – the one who refuses to believe the news the Jesus has risen unless he can see and touch Christ’s wounds. What keeps Thomas back seems to be his presuppositions about who God is and how God is supposed to act. Thomas is unwilling to abandon his framework for understanding faith and God. The result, ironically, is that the love he so desperately craves, is unrecognizable and unembraced. He is forever branded a doubter, and despite his subsequent recanting and acceptance, he becomes known for his wavering faith.

Thomas was apparentely focused on a conception of God that was undoubtedly safer and more comforting – and which would have only led to his ultimate insecurity and suffering had he continued to reject the One who so desperately pursued him. As Paul Tillich has said, faith is the courage to accept acceptance.

So what’s holding us back? How is our priority on self-preservation actually depriving us of the self-fulfillment we more deeply desire? Why are we allowing our mediocrity to trump our possibility? And what do we need to take a chance on today?

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Reading

Hypatia – Charles Kingsley

Seasons of Faith and Conscience – Bill Wylie Kellerman

Drive- Daniel Pink