Saint John 1:6-8, 19-28

There are times when it isn't easy to say the right thing in a given situation. We can readily empathize with the gentleman who met an old friend whom he hadn't seen for many years …

"How is your wife?" He asked.

"Haven't you heard, she's in Heaven, the friend replied.

"I'm so sorry," the poor fellow stammered. Then he realized that this might not have been the right thing to say, so he added, "I mean, I'm glad!" But that didn't seem quite right either, so he quickly said, "I mean to say, I'm surprised!"

In Luke's Gospel there is an episode in which Jesus' Disciples are more than surprised by the Risen Christ's sudden appearance in their midst. They were in a state of "alarm and fright," Luke tells us. They thought they were seeing a "ghost."

Moreover, it was not easy for them to say the right thing in that situation. In fact, we read in Luke's version of the event, they spoke not one word. Only the Voice of Jesus was heard. "Peace be with you," he said. "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, "Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in His name to all nations … You are witnesses of these things" (Luke 24:45-48).

And even though the Disciples spur of the moment response is non-verbal, it will not be long before their proclamation of the awesome Resurrection event does more than take people by surprise. It is not long before those Disciples are being described as "The people who have been turning the whole world upside-down" (Acts 17:6).

For the Son of Man Himself did not come to be served but to serve," Jesus said to His Disciples (Mark 10:45). Understanding this was difficult for those first Disciples, the Master casting Himself in the role of servant? What a mind-boggling surprise!

Like those Disciples, we now find Jesus in our midst saying, "Peace be with you." We find Jesus in our midst opening up our minds to the Scriptures. We find Jesus in our midst commissioning us to turn the world upside down by witnessing to His new life of Loving Service.

Witnessing in the world is, essentially communicating God's Living Presence. A simple act of love, can be more effective than thousands of words or thousands of books.

You can talk, talk, talk about God and about Jesus, but a simple act of love can convince where words have failed.

In today's Gospel Lesson, the Apostle John describes the emergence of John the Baptist from his wilderness retreat to announce the imminent coming of Jesus Christ into their midst. "He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through Him, He himself was not the light, but came to testify to the light" (John 1:6-8).

Like John the Baptist, we are not the light but we have emerged as Christ's followers to be witnesses to the Light of Christ.

We are a Church-going people and our ongoing worship experience is an important and necessary ingredient in our quest for life-enrichment and spiritual well-being. But equally important is the life-enrichment and spiritual well-being we experience in serving one another's needs. As a servant of the Lord …

When you see hunger, you give food.

When you see thirst, you give drink.

When you see nakedness, you give clothing.

When you see illness, you comfort.

When you see loneliness you give friendship, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.

It's not just what you're doing here in Church that matters. It's also what you're doing "out there in your relationships with other persons.

That is the bottom line.

That is the mark of a true witness to the Light of Christ!

The time we spend together in Church is a good and necessary part of our life-enrichment. And we thank God for it!

Moreover, the time we spend together in Church offers us the opportunity to prayerfully reflect on what we have been doing and what we intend doing with respect to Christ's Command to love one another. And we thank God for it!

Life is unfolding for us in the big, wide world outside these hallowed walls.

Life is unfolding for us in the Neighborhoods, in the Shopping Malls, in the Schools, on the Streets, in the Libraries, in the Fire Stations, in the Police Stations, in the Prisons, in the Planes in the sky, in the Ships at sea, on the Highways and the Byways, on the Farms, in the Factories, in the Offices, and in our Homes.

God is in here in this House of Worship and "out there," both.

God, in Christ, is in our midst here, and "out there," both. And here and there we are being called to be Christ's faithful witnesses to this sacred reality.

And, hopefully, it comes as no surprise that like John the Baptist and like Jesus' first Disciples, we are being called to turn the world "upside down."

Once upon a time, there was a piece of Iron which was very strong. Many attempts had been made to break it but all had failed. "I'll master it," said the Axe; and its blows fell heavily on the iron but every blow made its edge more blunt until it ceased to strike. "Leave it to me," said the Saw; and it worked backward and forward on the iron's surface until its jagged teeth were all worn and broken. Then it fell aside. "Ah!" said the Hammer, "I knew you wouldn't succeed. I'll show you the way." But at the first fierce blow, off flew its head and the Iron remained as before. "Shall I try?" asked the small, soft Flame? "Forget it," everyone else said. "What can you do?" But the Flame curled around the Iron, embraced it, and never left it until it melted under its irresistible influence.

The same God who reveals Himself here, reveals Himself to the world out there.

The same God who makes it possible for us to receive His Holy Spirit, requires us to breathe out the Holy Spirit.

When we breathe out in this sense, through our ministry of loving service, our New Life in Christ is radically enriched.

As Jesus' Disciples, our mission is not to break hearts but to melt hearts - under the irresistible influence of God's infinite Goodness, Grace, and Love.

Thanks be to God!!!!! Amen!!!