The Spirit of the LORD will come upon you, as you will be converted and another man. 1 Samuel 10.6
You will have the power of the Holy Spirit who will come to you, and you will be my witnesses.
Acts 1:8
is in the power of the mind
The teaching text at the current Whit Monday on the history of Christ's ascension. By the risen Christ the disciples leave, he gives them freedom and opened them and us a space that we perceive and in which we can take responsibility, responsibility for our lives, responsible for the people God has entrusted to us and for his whole creation, responsibility for the message of the Kingdom of God which Jesus proclaimed. The Risen goes. But he can not return alone. "But ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth." You do not get the answer to all questions, even not a faith that can by no more falter and even more so they are not free from all suffering. But power - is promised to them. And power of God we too are hoping for in our lives. We live not only on our own modest power and we are not alone when we reach the limits of our powers. As we go our way and talk of what fills us with hope and faith, but also by our doubts and worries, we will be witnesses. Witnesses are to testify to something that is not to convince others or even to talk. The first and only claim to witnesses is that they truly are. And this is especially true in matters of faith, where we can not exactly describe not just more or less objective facts. And the variety of witnesses allows everyone the room, their own to be believed, to perceive what he or she met with hope and strength.
We do not know what really happened at that time at the gates of Jerusalem, not to stare transfixed at the sky. If there had been given photos or movies - it would have been seen to do it. It is exciting indeed, that many pictures of the Ascension, the Risen Christ on a cloud floating up display. In Acts it is said, however, that a cloud received him from their sight. The decision does not take show to prove. Was it a dream or a real event? I suspect that it does not go down and that perhaps this distinction is not appropriate. For the disciples of Jesus, there was certainly a real force that set them in motion and filled with hope and confidence. Only thus could the message of Jesus to this day find their way to the ends of the earth.
And where we stand today in the echo that message of life? What we stand as witnesses - not only in words but in deeds? Who or what gives us strength, if ever outgrow our forces? From whom do we allow ourselves the way forward? What words can we say what songs we can sing? People trust what we do? Where we hope and expect God's help? Where we stare transfixed at the sky and lose their lives out of sight? Or we stare more to the world and lose sight of the power that we are bestowed by God?
our way, we can just go yourself - here on this earth among the people we be opposing. God gives us strength to do every morning. From this trust we live. That is enough.
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