Be the Story

Peter proceeded to speak and said:
“You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree. This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible, not to all the people, but to us, the witnesses chosen by God in advance, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. He commissioned us to preach to the people and testify that he is the one appointed by God as judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness, that everyone who believes in him will receive forgiveness of sins through his name.” -Acts 10:34a; 37-43.

If we believe the story that Peter relays in this Easter Sunday first reading, then we can testify to the following:

1. We want to go about doing good;
2. We need healing as we strive to live in light and not in darkness;
3. We believe that Jesus died and rose for our sake and that there were reliable witnesses of his death and of his life after resurrection;
4. We want to spread the same good news that Jesus preached;
5. We desire to leave all judgment to Christ; and
6. We believe that our sins are forgiven through the powerful name of Jesus.

Friends, don’t just tell the story; go out and be the story. Hear the story every week in church, and get inspired to live as a beloved child of God who believes that Jesus is fully alive and at work in you every day. To a world darkened by violence, oppression, sickness, and fear, the Risen Jesus brings light and hope. That light and hope are enlivened by our love for all who are wounded or empty. Tell the story, be the story, change the world. Happy Easter!