Ex. 12:1-14
Mt. 18:15-20

Some of us are old enough to remember a TV show hosted by Art Linkletter--a fun program where Art, as host, would interview several children. Often they would come up with some fun and funny gems of responses to the questions that he would ask. One time, prior to one of his shows, Art noticed that one of the little boys who was to appear that day was drawing a picture. So, curious, Art asked, "What are you drawing?"

"A picture of God!" the small boy replied. Linkletter then proceeded to try to tell the child that no one knows what God looks like, to which the boy confidently responded, "They will when I get through!'

Whether he realized it or not, that child was witnessing to his faith. Today, as we begin a new fall season together, that little boy sets a great example for us. He reminds us, that what we're about as a worshipping and faithful congregation is indeed witnessing to our faith--showing a picture of God, and God's son Jesus Christ, in a number of ways--to our world. That child's example, in fact asks each of us a question: what kind of picture of God are we drawing for the world by the ways we witness to our faith as we live out our lives? As we brought our talent dollars back this morning, which we'll place in the offering in a little while, how did we witness to our faith in the world by the way we used God's gifts--made them grow for God? That's just one very small example. What we do with our faith--the way we show our faith in the world, indeed has profound consequences.

You heard Jesus say in our reading from Matthew that when two or more of us agree on anything, as Christians that in fact God goes into action, and that Christ is with us as well, when we put our faith together with that of others. So witnessing to our faith has power. By the example each of us sets in the way we live--we all become teachers, through the examples we set for our children and others of how we, in often violent world, can instead live as the people of love and peace Christ taught us to be.

The Jewish people, as we heard in our lesson from Exodus today, whenever they celebrate passover, witness to that time we heard described, when God saved their people as God sent the last of plagues on Egypt to free the Jewish people, and save them. As they celebrate the passover each year, then, their remembrance of that time--tells the world about our saving God.

You see our faith has many ways and examples of witnessing--each one important--to tell the world of our loving, all-forgiving, saving, new-life giving God. In fact, if you think about it-- there are at least 4 different meanings to the word witness--4 different ways of witnessing to our faith--each are important for our faith on this beginning of a new season for our church and church school.

The first kind of witnessing we do as Christians, is to witness--in the sense of seeing an event first hand--in this case God's action and presence in our lives. As the Jewish people were saved by the passover event , they saw, clearly, first hand, God's saving, helping, renewing presence in their lives. Certainly one of the reasons we come to church on Sunday morning is to know God's presence first hand, in our worship. But do you also recognize--witness- God's love in the beauty of the gorgeous sunny days we had for much of the last few weeks, or the life-renewing rain we had this weekend. Did you notice God's new life presence, as a baby was born to our church family-- just a couple of weeks ago--little Theodore Edward Johnson, born to Lynn and Brian Johnson? Did you think about God's renewing presence as our children came again to church school this morning? The first kind of witnessing for our faith, and a crucial one of course is seeing God's new life-giving presence in our own lives, however that happens for us! Yes, witnessing God in our lives.

Some of you may have heard me share before about one of those special times, I personally experienced God's presence with me, in a beautiful way several years ago. It was when I was working on my doctoral dissertation --a very grueling process which requires usually, many rewrites. Peg and I were fortunate that some good friends in the parish we were serving at the time, off-ered us their camp in New Hampshire for a place to get away where I could just concentrate on my writing. Their cabin was at the base of a small mountain-- and there was a beautiful waterfall with rushing water coming down the moun-tain you heard all day long from the camp, especially in that spring of the year. Early each morning that week, I went up the to the top of the mountain on the path that went up alongside that rushing brook. And I'll never forget-- one morning, on the way up I saw several deer nibbling at some leaves along the path--so I stopped and watched for a moment, until finally as they scamp-ered off, I continued then to the top of the hill and saw once more its beautiful view of the valley below as the sun was continuing to rise, spreading a kind of golden glow over the scene. I felt very close to God that morning--filled with a sense of awe at God's creation, and so, I think especially that day, but also on the other days that week, when I came down from the mountain I was able to work very rapidly and creatively I thought. Thanks to that week I soon complet-ed the dissertation--because of that hope-filled place , where I had been able to witness God's new life giving presence everywhere--first hand.

Put on the glasses of faith my friends. Look for God's action in your world. That kind of witnessing--witnessing God's renewing, new life giving presence in our life, is crucial for our faith.

As is the second kind of witnessing, for then Jesus called us to be his witnesses of that faith to the world. So here we're witnessing in the sense of sharing the faith--just as a witness in court tells what he or she has seen. That's what Jesus' instructions were all about, when he said, if someone has strayed, we should go, with another Christian, to bring that person to account. It told us we have a responsibility to help others in our world, turn their vision around to have eyes of faith, and live lives of faith as well. We're called you see, to spread our new-life giving, renewing faith, to others in our world.

Do you? Or are you shy about your faith. Our teachers, at this begin-ning of the Sunday School year, and in fact all year, share their faith with our young people, and our adult classes as well. Do you witness in the sense of telling others why your Christian faith means a lot to you? Who do you know today, that could use some hope, and the knowledge that they're not alone that God is with them?
You know, there's an old legend that says when Jesus ascended into heaven after his mission on earth, the angels asked him: "Did you accomplish your task?" "Yes, all is finished," the Lord replied. "Well, we have a second question, then," said the angels. "Has the whole world heard of you?" "No," said Jesus. So the angels then asked, "So what is your plan?" Jesus replied,"I've left twelve men and some other followers to carry the message to the whole world." The angels then asked: "Okay . . .so what's your Plan B ?!"

Well my friends, there is no plan B. God and God's son Jesus Christ, are counting on reaching the world through you and me. Yes, the disciples did an amazing job; and we shouldn't be surprised! After all, when you offer people such resurrecting hope and they witness God's new life giving love first hand, the news spreads like wild-fire. But the disciples didn't have to compete, as we do, with a world of a thousands of messages being broadcast around the world everyday, essentially telling people to be greedy, and live with selfish, me-first values. So you see, we are plan B, and very much needed in our world. It's our job now, to spread the faith. That's what our Christian education in the church and r church school are all about, but we need to share the faith elsewhere with others too, for there's a surprising large number of folk who are not only unchurched but have barely heard about the faith in our world today, and indeed right here in our own community. So what are you doing to witness to the faith--to be a witness, who tells others about God's new life-giving, loving hopeful ways, as seen in Jesus Christ.

And then of course another meaning of the word witness--or giving witness to the faith, is simply by living the faith. On this beginning of the Sunday School year, with so many here today involved in education in one way or another, we know that often the best way for someone to learn something is not just to hear about it, but to see it in the example of others. So certainly one of the best ways we witness to the faith is by the way we live. So we witness--tell others about the faith, not just by our words, but our actions. Our gospel read-ing told us this morning that the way we live as Christians has eternal conse-quences for us and our world. So do you witness to the faith by the way you live. A poet once put it well. Hear his words:

The poet said, "You are writing a Gospel,
A chapter a day
By deeds that you do,
By words that you say.

People read what you write
Whether faithless or true,
Say! What is the gospel
According to YOU?

By the way we live our lives, you see, in word or deed, people learn what our faith is really all about, so what is the Gospel according to you? How do you witness by the way you live and the words you say?

And then there's one other way in which our witnessing helps people to witness and know God, and that is through God's help. For you see, when we witness to the faith, God joins in to help --yes, even, or especially if we mess up. So if we're afraid, fear not-God will be there to help us. For as we saw in our gospel reading, God is a god of grace--a god of forgiving, renewing love.

In a way, the help--called grace--which we receive from God, when our own efforts fall short is a little bit like the help I received from my Dad, when I was in Junior High, and overwhelmed in a big way by a science project I had undertaken. Our science teacher had all kinds of how-to pamphlets and materials for possible projects, and this one year, I spotted one that fascinated me. It gave directions on how to clean and mount a small skeleton for a scientific display. So naturally, as one who'd seen chicken bones many times at the dining room table, I said to myself, well there's a project that shouldn't be too hard. So that's how Charlene the Chicken, came into our house. You see, to do this project I need a chicken with all it's bones and ligaments intact, so it's skeleton, would hold together. So my Dad took me down to what was then called Haymarket Square in Boston, where we were able to purchase a dead chicken that had been plucked, but not cut up in anyway, even had it's head still in tact. We then brought it home, and I proceeded to work on Charlene, as we nicknamed the chicken, in our basement, following the directions in the pamphlet, to strip the bones while leaving the ligaments intact. The only trouble was, to do this you had to work carefully, and since my growing fingers weren't all that coordinated it was a slow process, too slow, so that very soon a certain odor began to permeate the basement. I wasn't doing very well, and as the smell grew I was getting desperate. It was then that I knew I had to call in reinforcements. Fortunately, my Dad was home that weekend, and he came to my rescue. Together we worked quickly to finish the process and dispose of the leftover meat. Soon the smell was gone, after we'd aired the basement a bit. Then, my Dad helped further with the difficult process of treating and bleaching the bones, and together we built a stand for Charlene. So I was saved. Yes, I'm happy to report that Charlene turned out pretty well, and was kept in the science room of my Junior High for several years, as a display to teach other students. But that never could have happened if my Dad hadn't been there to be with and help me--to save the day.

Well, yes, as my father did for me, that day long ago, we can be assured our loving God--the Parent of us all-- will do for us, when we make the effort to witness to our faith, as Christ called us to. If we make the effort, even if we mess up, God will be there with us--with grace--to erase our mistakes with a forgiving love and help, called grace, and to work with us as we seek witness to our faith for our world which needs it so.

God is with us . . to help! To bring new life! That is God's way! So let's spread the word!. Let's be witnesses, with the four witnessing ways of our faith --seeing God first hand, telling others about our faith, living it with the example of our own lives for others, and noticing God's grace in those times when our own faith may fail but God finds a way to turn it around and bring new life anyway. Yes, God has witnessed to us, with grace--a chance to start anew. Now it's our turn to witness, with God's help, to that new-life giving love of God - for our world needs it so'! Amen.