Several years ago, three of my daughters and I were water skiing in Uncle Tut’s boat when the outboard motor conked out.  He tried to start it several times, he fiddled with several adjustments, but nothing seemed to work.  It was getting late in the day.  There were no other boaters in the area.  He had no VHS radio, and it was a time before cell phones.  We just sat there unable to get back to the landing.  I started to silently pray that the motor would start.  Uncle Tut kept pulling at the starter cord, but nothing happened. 

I got a sense that I needed to pray out loud so Uncle Tut and my daughters could hear me.  As Tut was giving it another yank, I shouted, “Lord Jesus, start the engine!”  Varoom, the motor started right up.  Uncle Tut, who loved to tell stories, told this story for years – how my prayer started his outboard motor when nothing else could. 

Faith is incomplete without some kind of action.  We need to act on our faith for it to have an effect.  It usually requires that we be willing to risk failure, embarrassment, or disappointment. 

Have you noticed how often Jesus says to someone, “your faith has healed [saved] you?”  We see it with the woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years. She pushed through a crowd encircling Jesus, hoping only to touch his cloak.  She said, “’If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.”  Jesus, feeling power go out of him, turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” (Matthew 9:21-22)

We see it with Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, who the crowd attempted to silence as he cried out to Jesus who was passing by. (Mark 10:46-52)    We see it in the friends of a paralytic as they went to the extraordinary efforts of taking him up on a roof and lowering him down through the tiles in the middle of a crowd to get him to Jesus. (Luke 5:18-26)

In each of these instances it was the actions that people took based on their faith that brought forth a favorable response from Jesus.   

Every day we have opportunities to act on our faith.  If we see a questionable business practice, our faith in Christ should enable us to speak up for integrity.  If someone needs to talk, our faith should be willing to listen, and if the friend is discouraged, our faith should motivate us to provide encouragement.  If we see a need for healing, our faith should be willing to offer to pray with the person.  If we need healing, our faith should be willing to ask others to pray with us.  

Are you willing to act on your faith?

“God raised this Jesus; of this we are all witnesses.” (Acts 2:32) 

These are the words of Peter on the day of Pentecost after the disciples experienced the baptism in the Holy Spirit.  Peter is trying to explain to people who had heard the disciples praising God in various tongues and languages what was happening.  The disciples had just experienced an outpouring of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had told them in Acts 1:8 “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses…to the ends of the earth.”

Four hundred years earlier, the prophet, Joel foretold, “I will pour out my Spirit on all mankind. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; even upon the servants and the handmaids, in those days, I will pour out my spirit.” (Joel 3:1-2) 

Acts 1:15 indicates that there were 120 present following the ascension of Jesus.  Paul reports in 1 Corinthians 15:6 that Jesus appeared to “more than five hundred of the brothers at once.”  All of these were witnesses to Jesus and his resurrection. 

God invites all of us to meet the resurrected Jesus in a way that is unique and personal to each of us. Then like Peter and the several hundred disciples who saw Jesus after his resurrection, we are called to witness to the resurrected Jesus in our own life – that we have met him, that he lives in us and that he is real.  Many years ago, I met Jesus one October evening during a healing mass, and he took some disorder and sin from my life and offered me a new life if I would accept his healing, forgiveness and love. 

I accepted his offer.  Ever since that time, I have been trying to witness to his resurrection and presence in my life and the life of my family and others.  I don’t always do as good a job as I should, but the reality of his presence is there nevertheless.  I have spoken about him to my family, business colleagues, bosses, subordinates; to people individually, in small groups and large groups; sometimes to strangers. 

I have spoken of his love, his forgiveness, his provision, his guidance, his revelation of scripture, his presence in the sacraments and his presence in others.  The greatest challenge is being his witness not just in word, but in conduct.  That takes God’s grace, constant prayer, and awareness of his presence through the Holy Spirit.

Have you accepted the offer of the resurrected Jesus to live in you and witness to his presence?

Some people believe that faith in God should be private, not to be shared or otherwise evident in the workplace.  Others object to hearing talk about Jesus, complaining that they do not want Christians imposing their beliefs on them.  They contend that the workplace should be a religious free zone. 

The following words of St. Paul might offer some guidance as to how Christians should respond to hostility in the workplace.  “Love is kind, love is patient.  It is not jealous, is not pompous, it is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”  (1 Co. 13:4-7)

There is no law against love in the workplace.  There is no employee handbook that can object to conduct exhibiting the characteristics enumerated above.  If as Christians, we adhere to these actions, we will stand out; people will notice that we are different; they will seek our counsel and advice on both business and personal matters. 

There was a certain executive where I worked that when he learned of my affiliation with a Christian ministry, Christians in Commerce, now called WorkLight, would mock my Christianity when we were with other colleagues, but when we were alone would ask me numerous questions.  With others present he would contend that Christians in Commerce was an oxymoron, but privately, he would ask me what we did, and seek my opinion on things in the Bible he did not understand or agree with.  Whether he realized it, he was searching for God, and because of the credibility established in our relationship over many years, the Lord may have given me the opportunity to plant some seeds.

Our initial witness to Jesus Christ is usually better accomplished with conduct than words.  The conduct establishes the credibility and opens the door for the words to have more impact when the opportunity arises. The expression, “talk is cheap” applies to Christians too.  If you want the opportunity to witness to Christ with your words, witness first with your conduct.  Hostility to Christians in the workplace is often a reaction to words that come before the credibility of affirming conduct.    

What workplace can object to patience, kindness, humility, forgiveness, truth, hope, trust, perseverance – in other words, love?

“Ask something of me and I will give it to you,” (1Kings 3:5)

How would you respond if God made a similar offer to you?  

God made this very offer to Solomon who had just become Israel’s new King.  Soloman replied in complete humility, “O Lord my God, you have made your servant, king to succeed my father, David; but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act. Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.  For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?” (1Kings 3: 7, 9)    

While God offered him whatever he wanted, Solomon did not choose the things people might usually think of first such as wealth and power, or good health and a long life. Rather, he acknowledged his lack of experience and need for wisdom as he began to serve as King.

When approaching God with a request, we might want to follow Solomon’s example and come humbly, acknowledging our true status and need.  Solomon characterized himself as a “mere youth.”  How appropriate when coming before God!  Jesus said unless we become as little children we will never enter the kingdom of God.

We may not always understand what to request, confusing wants and desires with real needs.  Solomon was overwhelmed with the task he was about to face as a young and new king.  That is not necessarily a bad place to be since it helped him recognize his needs in contrast to his desires.

One other thing Solomon did in his request was to leave God some room to act in what would be in his best interests. Solomon did not ask to be a successful king.  He asked for wisdom and a discerning heart.  Scripture tells us that God was pleased with Solomon’s request and gave him not only what he asked for, but also what he didn’t ask for including riches and honor. 

Centuries later we hear the echo of this same response when Jesus says we should not worry about what to eat or drink or wear, but “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) Jesus tells us in the Lord’s Prayer to pray for God’s will to be done.  Seeking God’s will in all things may be the highest priority in our lives.  It far surpasses the world’s priorities of wealth, fame, and power. 

If God told you to ask for anything, what would it be?

“‘Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.’ Jesus stopped and said, ‘Call him.’” (Mark 10:47, 49)

Ask someone how they are doing, and they will likely tell you how busy they are.  We seem to be always busy – demanding jobs and active families with children involved in numerous activities often result in our rushing from one place to another.  

The Gospel of Mark reports that as Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, Bartimaeus, a blind beggar began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me.” (Mark 10:46-52) Above the din of the crowd Jesus hears this man call out to him and stops to hear his plea.

Jesus asks, “What do you want me to do for you?”  Bartimaeus says, “Master, I want to see.”  Jesus says, “Go your way, your faith has saved you.”  Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road. (Mark 10:51-52)

Are we willing to stop what we are doing to respond to someone in need?  Sometimes I have stopped; sometimes I have passed by. 

One evening while driving to a meeting, I came upon a man who had just been hit by a pick-up truck as he was crossing the road with a grocery cart.  The man was on the street in front of the truck and the grocery cart was under the truck.  As one of the first on the scene, I immediately pulled into an adjacent parking lot and ran to him.  I knelt to see how he was.  As the sound of sirens approached, he asked me if he was going to die.  Without thinking, I said, “No, you are not going to die,” I put my hand on his shoulder and started praying with him as a crowd gathered around.  The rescue squad arrived and pushed me aside.  They put him on a board and took him to a nearby hospital.  I inquired of the hospital, but since I didn’t know his name, was never able to learn whether he lived or died.

In later reflecting on the moment, I wondered whether I should have responded that he was not going to die since I did not know the nature of his injuries.  But then I came to understand that I was God’s delegate that evening, the first person on the scene to encourage and pray with him.   I had to accept Jesus’ promise that he and the Father’s presence were in me for me to say what I said.    

There is a blessing in stopping. Are we willing to listen above the din of the crowd and resist the pace of the moment to stop – and respond to the need of another on behalf of the Lord?  

“Is that your boy?” asked the salty 82-year-old owner of the marina as we backed the boat into the slip, with my son, Steve, and son-in-law, Greg handling the lines.  “Yes,” I answered, “He’s my son,” and then pointing to Greg, “and he’s my son-in-law.”

We were on a three day boat trip down the Potomac River, across the Chesapeake Bay to Tangier Island, then up the St. Mary’s River and finally back to Occoquan, south of Washington, D. C.  It was early October and God had blessed us with absolutely beautiful weather – warm sunshine days and cool nights – picturesque sunrises and artistic sunsets.  We had lunch at various crab houses along the way and anchored out each evening with one of the boys cooking dinner on the boat.  We were all easy to be with.

Tangier Island is like stepping into a time warp, discovered by Captain John Smith in 1608, a population of 569 who still speak with a trace of Elizabethan accent; all connected either directly or indirectly with the crabbing industry.  No cars, only golf carts and walking paths populated with houses and front yards filled with gravestones of preceding generations; lots of docks, marshes and crab boats. 

It may sound like a small thing, but for the owner of the marina to see enough resemblance to ask the question, “Is that your boy?” made me feel kind of proud.  Forty-three years separate my son, Stephen and me.  He was 30 and vigorous at the time.  I have white hair and am not quite so vigorous.

In today’s society, families tend to get so disbursed that we can easily lose our sense of family and identity from generation to generation.  We go our separate ways, life full of work, children, activities, and busyness; seldom doing things together, living far apart, seeing each other only on an occasional holiday.  In prior generations, like Tangier Island, families tended to live together more, or at least in closer proximity, sons worked with their fathers and were a continuation of the father in both work and life.

Tradition tells us that Jesus initially took on the work of his earthly father, Joseph, working as a carpenter before he began his public life. In his public life he took on the work of his heavenly Father, becoming his presence in human form in the family business of salvation.  “He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:51-52)

This is the natural order established by God – man, woman, family cooperating with God’s creative act to fill the earth and to work and take care of the garden of his creation, extending God’s plan and leading each generation to God, so that God may one day be “all in all.” (1Cor. 15:28) 

Let us pray that God may be as proud of us, his extension in this world, as I am of my son, Stephen, son-in-law, Greg, and all my children, their spouses and families, who are an extension of our family and heritage.

“Whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.”  (John 14:12)

These are Jesus’ words to the disciples the night before his arrest.  He goes on to say, “Whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” Jesus wants to act on the faith of our requests to him in order to bring glory to the Father.  Jesus wants us to have faith in him, to live by his words, and pray in his name. 

I have a friend, Sheri, who is a physical therapist in Arizona.  She had a co-worker, Ashley, who was scheduled for an MRI to check on a piece of brain tumor that could not be removed from a prior surgery.  Every time Ashley would have an MRI to check on the status of the tumor, she would get very anxious.  On this occasion it turns out that Sheri was able to see Ashley right before she left for her appointment.  Sheri sensed that the Lord wanted her to pray with Ashley that this time the MRI would show no presence of the tumor.  While Sheri had reservations about whether she should follow what she deemed a prompting of the Holy Spirit, she nevertheless placed her hand on Ashley’s forehead and prayed in the name of Jesus that the tumor would be gone. 

Sheri reports, “The next time we saw each other, I was walking down the hallway past Ashley’s office when she yelled, ‘Sheri, THE TUMOR IS GONE!’  Not a trace of it was on the MRI, even though it had been present on every MRI for several years.” 

We see in Sheri’s story someone who not only believes in Jesus, but also has the confidence in him to step out and boldly offer to pray with her friend that God would heal her and take away all trace of the remaining piece of brain tumor. 

Whether Sheri realized it or not, by her faith in praying for Shelley in the name of Jesus, she was also bringing glory to the Father.

The Gospels share many promises of Jesus like this one.  How much confidence do you have in Jesus’ promises?

“If a man dies will he live again?” (Job 14:14)

One characteristic common to all living things is that they eventually die.  People, animals, birds, microbes, plants, all die at some point.  The cycle of birth, life and death may vary, but the sequence remains the same for all. The Psalmist says, “You have made my days a mere handbreadth.” (Psalm 39:5)  

But then Jesus says, “He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” (John 11:25, 26)  This, of course, runs counter to what we experience in being born into this physical world, living the life we see, hear and touch. 

Many years ago a secretary with whom I worked was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer.  Her name was Rita.  She went through multiple surgeries and treatments.  I watched her as she went from this vibrant woman in her prime, full of life, grace and happiness, literally shrink physically before my eyes as the cancer and treatments sapped the life from her.  In visiting her a few days before she died, I was shocked at her physically deteriorated state. 

That evening, while reflecting on her condition, the thought came to me that while the cancer was destroying her physical body, it could not destroy her because who she was included so much more than her physical body.  Yes, her physical nature had a part in defining who she was, but the most important part of her was her personality, her gracious and loving manner, her kindness, her willingness to listen to a co-worker with a problem, her diligence in her work, her quiet peace and joy when our office was experiencing a chaotic moment, her inclination to love no matter who was standing in front of her.

These non-physical characteristics of Rita were what really made her who she was.  They would not die with her body.  They would live on.  As physical beings we struggle with defining the non-physical.  We use words like soul and spirit that have the potential to transcend the physical realm. The writer of Ecclesiastes observes, “He has set eternity into the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to the end.” (Eccl. 3:11)

Jesus answers Job’s question.  We die to this physical world in the current age, but if we believe in him, the best part of us lives on — soul and spirit. Just as God raised Jesus to new life with a different kind of body, he promises to do the same for those who believe. 

“When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: ‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?’” (1 Cor. 15:53-55)

Will you live forever?

“The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”  (Genesis 3:21)

After God put Adam in the Garden of Eden to work and take care of it, he instructed him, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (Genesis 3:16-17) 

We all know the story — the serpent enticed Eve to take fruit from the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil who gave some to Adam and they both ate of it.  As a result of their disobedience, they were removed from the Garden of Eden.  But as the above verse mentions, even in their disobedience God in his mercy and love provided clothing for them.   

Our God is a merciful God, and Jesus brought mercy to all whom he encountered.  Jesus tells us, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” (Matthew 6:36) Because of his great love and mercy Jesus healed the blind beggar, Bartimaeus, raised Jarius’ daughter to life, healed the cripple lowered through the roof by his friends, opened the ears of a deaf mute, made a leper clean, and demonstrated his love to countless others.

My family and I have experienced God’s mercy in many ways over the years.  To mention just one example.  Two years ago, I experienced a recurrence of my prostate cancer after 15 years from the initial surgery and treatment.  The radiation oncologist recommended 38 sessions of proton radiation, five days a week over the course of seven and a half weeks.  Through God’s mercy I experienced absolutely no side effects during the entire period or thereafter. 

I praise God for his love and mercy to me and my family.  He is forever faithful. 

How have you experienced God’s love and mercy?            

“’No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him’ – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.” (1 Co. 2:9-10 NIV)

St. Paul says that no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God, but with the Holy Spirit we may come to understand what God has freely given us – words taught not by human wisdom, but by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths.  In contrast, St. Paul says that theperson without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to them, and they cannot understand them because they must be spiritually discerned. (1 Cor. 2: 14)

The Holy Spirit gives me a sense of belonging to God – a feeling of security, knowing that the God of all creation is my Father. He is not distant and out of reach.  He has made himself available to me by becoming one of us through his son, Jesus, the Messiah.  I can see how much he loves me by how he sacrificed his life for me through the tortuous death of Roman crucifixion.  His Spirit gives me the desire to overcome my selfish nature, and love and serve my wife, family and others as much as I am inclined serve myself. 

The Holy Spirit helps me to understand that I am to be a good steward of the responsibilities and circumstances in my life, including family, work, and relationships with others.  He has taught me to have courage and trust in God when faced with the life threatening illness of cancer, the family challenge of a child with an intellectual disability, and circumstances that threaten a presumed career path.

The Spirit gives us knowledge and understanding in our perspectives, conduct, and relationships.  He enables us to see the natural order of God’s creation.  Some people see conflict between science and faith, but the Spirit shows us that science is simply the discovery of the mysteries of God’s creation.

How remarkable!  Who can equal God’s love for us and the gift of the Holy Spirit which is our enabler in love, wisdom, and truth?  I once read that the contrast between living life in the fullness of the Holy Spirit and not doing so is like the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.

As we celebrate the Feast of Pentecost this week, are you experiencing the personal presence of the Father and the Son as enabled by the Holy Spirit?  If not, ask God to release the power of the Holy Spirit you received in your baptism.  It will change your life.