Introduction
What comes to mind when you think about “missions”? Is it financially supporting people experiencing poverty in a small African village? Is it ministering in churches in Colombia, where the children have very few options that don’t involve harvesting cocaine? Is it visiting a theological school in Germany, trying to bring the life-giving water of the Gospel to a dry, barren, and atheistic land?
All of these are examples of “missions,” but not everyone is called to go to these places and do that kind of mission work. Still, we are all called to be missionaries, whether at home or abroad.
Jesus said:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
“Witness.”
I like that word a little better than “missionary.”
Notice that Jesus doesn’t say, “And some of you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” He says, “You will be my witnesses. You. All of you.” If you are Christ’s disciples, then your mission in this world is to be a witness to Jesus Christ, whether you’re at home in your “Jerusalem” or far from your comfort zone in places you might call “the ends of the earth.”
The Reversal
What we should notice in this passage is how unusual this commission truly is. To us, it sounds normal because we’re very familiar with it, but to Jesus’ first-century audience, it would have seemed like the very opposite of what the prophets had predicted would happen when God finally acted to save his people.
It’s not that the Kingdom of God was meant to exclude Gentiles. The prophets clearly indicated that there would be a place for Gentiles in God’s kingdom, and that is one of the main themes of Epiphany. However, the way Gentiles would enter was not through the people of God coming to them, but rather by the Gentiles flowing into Jerusalem.
In the Old Testament, the dominant vision of God’s mission to the nations is centripetal—the nations stream toward Jerusalem. Isaiah writes:
It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be lifted up above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it (Isa 2:2).
The Psalmist envisions Jerusalem as the spiritual home of all the nations, and says:
Glorious things of you are spoken, O city of God (Ps 87:3).
Zechariah prophesies:
Many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem and to entreat the favor of the LORD (Zech 8:22).
The pattern is clear: the nations come to Jerusalem, not the other way around. Jerusalem is the center, the destination, the place where God’s glory dwells and where the nations will find salvation.
But now, in Acts 1:8, the direction has reversed:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8).
The mission is now centrifugal rather than centripetal. No longer do nations gather toward Jerusalem. Instead, from Jerusalem, Jesus’ disciples are sent out. They are to be witnesses first in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. The direction is outward, not inward.
In the kingdom of God, we do not wait for the world to come to us; instead, we go out as witnesses of Jesus Christ.
The reason for the reversal isn’t arbitrary; it’s because of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God no longer dwells in the Temple but within the people of God. When Jesus ascended to heaven and poured out his Spirit at Pentecost, the location of God’s dwelling changed.
God’s presence is no longer limited to a building in Jerusalem that nations must visit to encounter the living God. Instead, God’s presence now lives in us, in the church, in those filled with the Holy Spirit. We are the temple of the living God.
Since the temple is mobile and goes with us, the nations still stream to meet Israel’s God, just as the prophets foretold—but now, we carry that temple to them. Part of being Christ’s witnesses at home and abroad is carrying God’s presence with us as we cross every boundary and go to the ends of the earth.
Crossing Boundaries
That’s the other thing we should notice in this passage. The movement is clearly geographical, but with that outward movement comes increasing hostility and a sense of otherness. Jerusalem and Judea were comfort zones, but taking the Gospel to Samaria and to the ends of the earth where those unclean Gentiles lived was something entirely different.
Do you remember what John’s parenthetical note was when Jesus was talking to the Samaritan Woman?
The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans) (John 4:9).
The Jewish avoidance of Samaritans in the first century was a deeply rooted cultural practice based on religious and political conflicts. The Samaritans recognized only the five books of Moses as scripture and built their own temple on Mount Gerizim for worship. In 128 BC, one of the Maccabees, John Hyrcanus, captured Shechem and destroyed the Gerizim sanctuary. By Jesus’s time, the hostility had become so intense that a devout Jew would go out of their way to avoid Samaria entirely when traveling from Judea to Galilee, much like someone today taking the long way home to steer clear of a certain part of town. In short, Jews and Samaritans viewed each other as enemies, yet even they are called to be witnesses by Christ.
And what about the end of the earth? It was people from the end of the earth who destroyed the Jerusalem Temple and sent the people into exile. It was people from the end of the earth who tried to eradicate Judaism from the face of the planet. It was people from the end of the earth who still occupied the Holy City, who continue to impose their rule and authority on God’s people, and who will be judged and destroyed when the stone of Daniel 2 strikes the feet of the idolatrous kingdoms of this world. Yet, even to them, Christ has called us to be his witnesses.
Each step outward from Jerusalem demanded that the disciples cross deeper and more painful divisions. Each step required them to witness to people who were harder to love, harder to reach, and harder to see as beloved children of God. The truth confronting us today on World Mission Sunday is this: God loves and wants to reach our enemies. God loves and wants to reach the people who have wronged us. God loves and wants to reach the people who are different from us, the people who don’t look like us, the people who speak different languages than us, the people who vote differently than us, the people we’d rather ignore on the street than try to help, and even the people who would actively seek to do us harm. God loves them and wants to reach them all.
To these people and more, God has called us to be his witnesses: to tell them about Christ, to embody God’s presence in their lives, and to share his love and mercy in a world that so badly needs it.
If this feels impossible, it’s because we’re not wired that way. We’re not naturally built to love our neighbors as ourselves or to love and pray for our enemies. So, if this task feels overwhelming, you’re right. It’s too much for you, and it goes against your natural instincts. But here’s what makes the whole thing possible:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses (Acts 1:8).
The Holy Spirit is more than just a source of spiritual comfort or personal piety. He is the power of God that helps us overcome the boundaries created by our sin and brokenness in this world. The Holy Spirit enables us to love our Samaritans, to witness to those we find hardest to reach, and to extend the love of Christ across every division that separates human beings from one another.
World Mission Starts Where We Are
The mission of the church is not to build a comfortable community of like-minded individuals. Instead, it is to be Christ’s witnesses to the ends of the earth, crossing every boundary that separates us, and bringing the love and lordship of Jesus Christ to those who seem farthest from God.
Witnessing across divisions is our mission wherever we are. Being Spirit-empowered boundary-crossers is what we are called to do. And we cannot accomplish this without the Holy Spirit. The collect for today is exactly right.
Almighty God, through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, you revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation: Pour out this gift anew, that by the preaching of the Gospel your salvation may reach to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
God has revealed the way of eternal life to every race and nation. Not to one race. Not to one nation. Not to one people group. But to every race and nation. And then our request is simple: pour out this gift anew.
That’s what we need. If you want to pray on World Mission Sunday, pray for the work of missionaries both at home and abroad. Pray for everyone who serves God’s kingdom, wherever they are. Make sure to also pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit that helps us love others who are different from us, those who hate us, and even those who may seek to harm or wrong us.
You cannot do this on your own. But with the Holy Spirit, we can become exactly what Christ has called every one of us to be: his witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Amen.
Intro Prayer
Heavenly Father, as we gather today to discuss your call for us to be witnesses, we ask that you open our hearts and minds to what you want to teach us. Help us to be receptive to your Spirit’s leading and to see beyond our own comfort zones. Give us the courage to examine how we can better serve as your witnesses in our daily lives. May this time together draw us closer to you and to one another. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Ice Breaker
What’s the farthest place you’ve ever traveled from home, and what was the most surprising thing you discovered about that place or its people?
Key Verses
Acts 1:8
Isaiah 2:2-3
John 4:9
Daniel 2
Questions
How does knowing we carry God’s presence with us everywhere affect your view of daily interactions?
Fr. Michael notes that in the Old Testament, nations were expected to come to Jerusalem, but now we go to them. How does this ‘reversal’ challenge our approach to sharing faith?
Who are the ‘Samaritans’ in your life - people you find hard to love or reach out to? What makes it difficult?
Fr. Michael discusses crossing progressively tougher boundaries—from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and finally to the ends of the earth. What boundaries in your own life do you find most difficult to cross?
The sermon emphasizes that God loves and wants to reach even our enemies. How does this truth challenge your perspective on people who have wronged you?
What role does the Holy Spirit have in helping us love those who are different from us or hostile towards us?
How can our church better live out the mission of being ‘spirit-empowered boundary crossers’ in our community?
Life Application
This week, choose one person in your life who represents a ‘boundary’ for you—someone who is different, difficult to love, or with whom you have conflict. Pray daily for this person and find one practical way to show Christ’s love to them, whether through a kind word, an act of service, or simply treating them with dignity and respect.
Key Takeaways
All Christians are called to witness for Jesus Christ, not only professional missionaries.
The mission approach has changed from the Old Testament model — now we proactively reach out to the world instead of waiting for the world to come to us.
We carry God’s presence with us wherever we go, making us mobile temples.
Being a witness involves crossing progressively harder boundaries and loving those who are different or hostile.
The Holy Spirit offers the strength needed to love our enemies and testify across all divisions.
Ending Prayer
Lord Jesus, thank you for calling us to be your witnesses wherever we are. We confess that loving across boundaries and divisions is difficult for us, and we cannot do it in our own strength. Pour out your Holy Spirit upon us anew, that we might have the power to love those who are different from us, those who oppose us, and even those who seek to harm us. Help us to see every person as someone you love and want to reach. Give us the courage to step out of our comfort zones and be faithful witnesses of your love and grace. Use us as instruments of your peace in a divided world. In your precious name, Amen.