Please Note That Most Messages Follow
The Revised Common Lectionary

Liturgy Based on Psalm 68:1-10:
Minister: Let God rise up, let his enemies be scattered; let those who hate him flee before him.
People: As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; as wax melts before the fire, let the wicked perish before God.

Minister: But let the righteous be joyful; let them exult before God; let them be jubilant with joy.
People: Sing to God, sing praises to his name; lift up a song to him who rides upon the clouds -- his name is the LORD-- be exultant before him.

Minister: Father of orphans and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.
People: God gives the desolate a home to live in; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity, but the rebellious live in a parched land.

Minister: O God, when you went out before your people, when you marched through the wilderness, Selah
People: the earth quaked, the heavens poured down rain at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

Minister: Rain in abundance, O God, you showered abroad; you restored your heritage when it languished; your flock found a dwelling in it; in your goodness, O God, you provided for the needy.
People: We Lift our voices high in Praise to you O, God!

Minister: This is the Word of the Lord!
People: Thanks Be Unto God!

I will never forget my first court room experience. I had been hired by a company as a store manager and part of my job was to represent the company in small claims court as needed. My first "case" was a true eye-opener for me. I knew nothing about legalities. I was truly a "fish out of water." As I entered the court room I knew why it was called "small claims." The room was barely big enough for us all to fir and there were only five people present. The judge, the defendant, his wife, myself, and the defendant’s lawyer. That’s right - Lawyer!

When the judge asked me to tell my why my company had pursued this matter to the level of court, I was constantly interrupted by the defendant’s attorney. He was so incredibly rude. Right in the middle of my sentence he’d say "I object!" The first time it happened I was intimidated and full of fear. But he did it so much I eventually got use to it.

Then it was his turn to put forth a case for his clients and I promise you I did not understand much about what he had to say. The only thing I knew was that it was MY turn. I waited until I thought he was going to get one of those long legal sentences started and then I raised up big and proud and said "I object!!" The judge said "On what grounds?" I said "On the grounds that it’s my right too!"

I know I really agitated the judge but when all was said and done the judge awarded my company everything we had asked for and more. I remember shaking the attorney’s hand and saying: "Hope to see YOU again!"

I have no idea why we won that day. It certainly wasn’t because of my legal expertise. All I know is that I told the judge everything I knew.

Jesus said to His disciples "You shall be my witnesses." But what does that mean?

Webster says that a "witness" is a person who has seen, experienced, or heard something; something which serves as proof or evidence."

Before many months had past I gained more and more court room experience. Whenever we went to small claims court I did all the preparation of legal documents and we never hired an attorney. I always simply went and told what I knew and that always seemed to be sufficient.

I will never forget a case we had in Superior Court. I sat at the table of the District Attorney who was handling the case for us. A client had rented a television from us, and then took it to a local pawn shop and sold it. He made the mistake of bragging to one of my employees about how he "ripped us off," at a bar one night.

My employee reminded me a lot of my first time in court. It was an awkward position to be in without a doubt. The District Attorney had "prepped" him for the case. In his pre-trial preparation the DA told him to be very brief in his answers. He said that often one word answers would be the best.

Fred was a good ole’ country boy who did exactly as he was told. They swore him in and he walked around and took his seat in the "witness seat." The conversation went like this:

District Attorney: "State your name please."
Fred: "Fred."
District Attorney: "Your full name please."
Fred: "Fred Raymond Stanly."
District Attorney: "Mr. Stanly who do you work for?"
Fred: "Mr. Osborne."
District Attorney: "What is the name of your company?"
Fred: "Carl’s."
District Attorney: "The full name of the company???"
Fred: "Carl’s T.V. & Appliance Inc."
District Attorney: "What do you do there?"
Fred: "Work."

I mean this went on and on and on! The District Attorney became so frustrated he about popped four blood vessels and the one running down his neck was sticking out! Eventually Fred got around to telling the District Attorney that whenever he made a delivery the person who received the merchandise had to sign a contract. Fred was holding that contract in his hands. At that point the Judge spoke up.

Judge: "May I see the contract please?"
Fred: "Well here it is come and get it."

As the Judge stepped down to get the document from Fred he tripped to which Fred said: "Watch your step there buddy! That first one’s a lou-lou and you’re liable to bust your noggin’!"

Both the District Attorney and I tried to crawl under the table! Yet once again when the trial was over, we had won our case because Fred had told what he knew. In spite of his lack of experience Fred just told what he knew.

The Disciples of Jesus were fully qualified to "Be" his "Witnesses." After all they had lived with Jesus. They had heard His teaching and some of that teaching had become part of their very lives. They saw him perform miracles. They had seen him crucified. He appeared to them after he had risen from the dead and now- now - they were going to see him ascend into Heaven.

Those are the kind of people Jesus is calling to "Be" his "Witnesses." The disciples were common, ordinary men. They had their faults just like everyone else. Often Jesus would call them "faithless." But that's one of the most encouraging words for us this morning. Jesus takes simple ordinary people and uses those people to do special extraordinary things.

This past week I had an opportunity to be interviewed by a local television station on a program called "Focus on Faith." They had called me at home a few weeks ago and asked if I would be willing to be a guest on the program.

As I sat in that studio I was asked during the first half of the show to tell the audience about the impact the touch of Jesus had on my life throughout my battle with cancer and other trials.

During the second half of the show I was asked to give my response to the violence which occurred in Columbine High School and in other schools throughout the World.

At the end of the show I was asked by a young senior at Winston Salem State what changes I had seen take place in "Doing Ministry" throughout my twenty plus years of ministry.

I was asked to simply share what I had seen, experienced, heard, and learned during my walk with the Savior.

Since you will be seeing that show in June while I am attending the CBF conference in Birmingham, I won’t tell you everything I said. I will give you a "sneak preview" per say. I told them how Jesus had transformed my life from death into life. I told them that if more people had been told the story of Jesus that much of the violence we have seen would be non-existent.

You see the Disciples had the greatest story in the World to tell. I must confess that the 21 year old senior from Winston Salem State took me totally off guard. In my response I made reference to the changes we have seen over the last twenty years in the arena of technological advancements. How we now have all kinds of new ways of spreading the Gospel to the World through things like television, audio-video productions, radio, and the Internet. But that even though we have seen many technological advances over the last twenty years - the message has remained the same. The greatest story ever told has never changed. That story is the only constant that we have left in our World. God loves us! Jesus died for us! Jesus rose from the grave that we too might experience victory over death and then he ascended into Heaven to prepare a place for you and I.

Jesus said to His Disciples that day - "You Shall Be My Witnesses!" Jesus says to you and I today: "YOU shall be my witnesses!"

There is a hymn that is often sung at commissioning services for missionaries titled: "We've a Stroy to tell to the Nations." How will you respond today? Will you be a Witness for Jesus? I know whenever I attended a commissioning service and saw all those missionaries processing in carrying all those flags from all those countries, singing that song - tears usually stream down my face. Oh how great the need to tell the Story!

The other day I had a "God moment" in my living room. As I saw the morning news broadcast live from aboard an aircraft carrier and as I saw those jets with our men and women in them loaded with the bombs it was an over whelming sight for me. As I sat and watched one take off and the two crew people saluted the camera before taking off I lost it. Tears began to fall as I went down on my knees in my living room and I began beg God to help our world and let the killing and fighting end. I make no apologies for my tears. I cry a lot but it's very few times like that when I have what I call a "God moment." I was crying out to Him and I felt Him reaching out to me. Our World needs to hear the story!

So what about it? Are you willing to go and share with a World what you have seen, what you have experienced, and what you have heard about Jesus today?

I think sometimes we just go through life accepting all the blessings the Lord will give us without stopping to thank Him for those blessing and without feeling any responsibility to Him in response to those blessings.

When was the last time you really stopped and counted your blessings? Do you realize how He has blessed your life? If you answer no I'll be happy to take you with me visiting this next week.

Are you thankful for the way He is blessing your life? For the way He is Blessing your family? Your church?

Why should we be His "Witnesses"? The reasons are twofold. First simply because He has told us too. Without fail every time I tell my children to do something they respond: "Why?" My typical response is "Because I’m your Daddy and sometimes that’s all the reason you need!" Why should we? Because He’s our Savior and sometimes that’s all the reason we need.

Why should we? Secondly, because as I alluded to earlier, what the World needs right now is Jesus. As you know I am a far throw from being a fundamentalist. But I have to agree with an ex-leader of our government who made a very harsh comment in USA Today about why he thinks the Columbine High School incident took place. He blames our World condition and places the blame on all of us for allowing the World to become what it has while we simply stood by and watched.

What our World desperately needs is Jesus. Why should we be witnesses for Jesus? Because if the story is never told the solution will never be found.

Will you answer His call this morning? Will you be obedient to His call upon your life? Will you be His Witnesses? Are you willing to share what you have seen, what you have experienced, and what you have heard this morning concerning Jesus? Amen.

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