A phrase many of us have probably heard: ?To be or not to be, that is the question,? was written by Shakespearefor the play Hamlet and I think this is still the question.? I think it could also say, ?To do or not to do, that is the question.? Being vs. doing. Something I think I struggle with on a daily basis. Especially as I live out believing in the Resurrection and my faith. I wonder if I am living a life worthy of following? Are you? Are we living lives worthy of following as a congregation?

In The Story for today, we have celebrated the Resurrection and are moving into the time period where we walk with the first disciples on what it means to live out the Resurrection. In the final 4 weeks in our walk through the Bible, we will cover the Holy Spirit, the writings of Paul, and the book of Revelation. And through all of these stories, we are still looking at these stories as ways God wants to continue to connect people with God and with one another. I invite you to pray with me: New Beginnings.

I have shared stories about Wandagay from Charleston, WV before. Wanda is a member and elder at South Park. Wanda taught me so much, yet I think I was able to teach her something too. ?One of our biggest learnings was the importance of being present in and with those in our community. We called it a ?Ministry of Presence? and BEING with those in the community. In many ways, this is what I think Jesus wanted to leave with those disciples and for us today.

After the resurrection and before the ascension, Jesus continued to be with the disciples and to teach them how to move forward after he ascended. To me, these are the lasting pieces that Jesus left with those disciples and for us today. And as I read through these words, I am amazed about the difference between doing and being. And as you read further into Acts, there is a balance between doing and being. When it comes to being disciples of Jesus.

Listen to these words from the Gospel of Matthew:

?Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, ?All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.? (Matthew 28:16-20)

In this passage, Jesus is reminding the disciples about what they are to do. They are to go out and make disciples, baptize them, and teach people to obey the words of Jesus. In going out into the world, we are reminded by this passage the importance of being in the world with our neighbors and then doing the work of God because of our relationship with God. In addition, Jesus reminded them that he will always be with them. I think this is where we get the concept that Jesus lives in my heart and lives within me comes from..

Listen to these words from the book of Acts:

In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: ?Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. ?For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.? (Acts 1:1-5)

In this passage, we learn the importance of waiting for what is to come. Being still. Being patient. Being. The disciples are to be patient and wait for the Holy Spirit. Jesus doesn?t want them to do anything until the Spirit comes. Jesus wants them to be present with one another as Jesus has been present with them. And this translates to us as well. Being present. Being patient. Being with God and with one another.

Our lesson continues in Acts:

Then they gathered around him and asked him, ?Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?? 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.? After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:6-9)

And in this passage, we hear another command from Jesus?you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem-meaning, across this city, across this town, I want YOU to be witnesses in how you live your life and how you show and tell people about all I have taught you. ?Then he said you will be my witnesses in all of Judea and Samaria, meaning across the region, across cultural and religious traditions, across differences that come between communities; I want YOU to be my witnesses in how you live your life and how you show and tell people about all I have taught you. And lastly, you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth, meaning across the globe. I have always taken this aspect of the passage to look at how we are being Christians and living out our lives locally and globally-whether or not that is in traveling, in how we do business, how we look, think about, or respond to those from other places or countries, how we react to what is happening in our world, what businesses we support, or how we invest in our future. Just think about how would Jesus want us to be with those who are refugees, immigrants, or young women forced into sex trafficking? All of these situations happening around the globe, affect us in Port Charlotte. How are we being witnesses to those that we may never meet yet we have an impact on their lives and they have on ours? Are we being witnesses of Jesus by welcoming, loving, providing safe places for healing, and teaching a new way of living our lives to people regardless of where they are from or what they believe?

These passages lead me to this place: How are we doing Christianity? Are we living out our lives in a way that other people would say we live a life worth following? Because it is important that the way we live our lives exemplifies how Jesus called us to live. I want us to think about this: If we are judgmental, angry, agitated, jealous, mad, and/or rude?then the type of Jesus we are portraying to the world is the type of Jesus who is judgmental, angry, agitated, jealous, mad, and/or rude. If we are kind, considerate, gracious, loving, and/or giving, then the type of Jesus we are portraying to the world is the type of Jesus who is kind, considerate, gracious, loving, and giving. Or as Emma said to me last night, sometimes we do both and we don?t always mean to do mean things. Think about how we are ?doing? in living out our faith. And asking ourselves the question, are we leading lives worth following?

And at the same time, how are we ?being? Christian? Are we being in the Word, in study, and in community? Are we being present in the lives of our family, friends, and neighbors? Are we being witnesses of the teachings of Jesus? Or are we really good at ?being? Christian on Sunday morning and then attempting ?to do? Christian the rest of the week? How are we being present and living out the resurrection each and every day?

Our chapter ends with the stories of Peter learning that God shows no partiality and welcomes all to the table, of Peter being arrested for preaching the Resurrection of Jesus, taking out of prison by an angel, and saved from King Herod, of Saul persecuting anyone who believed in Jesus and followed the Way to having an encounter with Jesus, becoming someone who believed, and then sharing out of his experience and learnings, and helping others believe in the Way as well. We know this Saul by the name of Paul and it is Paul?s letters to the churches we will continue to learn about over the next two weeks.

As we walk through this week, I encourage you to read through the book of Acts. In this book, you find many different ways of being and doing Christianity. Remember as you read, that these words and ways of being were all new. Everything was a new way of living life and faith. It is all a new way of ?being.? It is my prayer that you will reflect on how you are present and being a Christian, not just doing Christianity?it is a way to have a ministry of presence and it is essential to being witnesses to the world?think about how you are a witness of Jesus in the world-locally and globally. Since Jesus and those first disciples aren?t here to walk the earth any more, the way people know Jesus is by YOU. It is my guess that the reason people aren?t part of the church or the Christian faith anymore is because of how Christians, people like us, have acted and treated one another and others. We haven?t done a great job of being witnesses with our lives. Let us BE witnesses for Jesus in our community by loving our God and loving our neighbor, locally and globablly, with everything that we have. This is being witnesses for Jesus and is the way God?s love can be made present everywhere. Through you being a witness to the ends of the earth. Amen.