This Is Our Moment to Testify

Introduction

There are few places where rumors shape our imagination more powerfully...

...or more dangerously...

...than the topic of immigration.

We’ve all heard them...

Rumors that label immigrants as criminals.

Rumors that insist newcomers drain resources.

Rumors that warn of “invasions” and “takeovers.”

Rumors that stir fear long before we ever meet the people those rumors describe.

These stories travel faster than the truth.

They shape our imagination before reality even has a chance to speak.

I remember working with a volunteer driver in my previous context who reached out to me, deeply concerned.

Concerned that an immigrant was taking advantage of the service.

Concerned that the immigrant might be violent.

Concerned that the immigrant might bring unwanted attention.

All the things the rumors had taught them to expect.

This driver carried assumptions shaped far more by headlines than by human beings.

But once they began serving this person...

Once they heard their story...

Once they sat with them in the car...

Once they shared a cup of coffee while waiting for an appointment...

...the imaginative rumor dissolved.

You see friends, fear fades in the presence of relationship.

The imagination shifts…

...not because the rumor was convincing...

...but because the truth was too real to deny.

There are times when rumors shape our imagination more than reality. When such occurs, Jesus names the moment as a space for faithful testimony.

Scripture knows this dynamic well.

Long before our modern debates, the people of God wrestled with whether to treat the stranger with suspicion or with welcome.

The Old Testament is unmistakably clear...

For those of you in the Women of the Torah study groups, you are familiar with the Exodus text...

“You shall love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

But the most radical command comes from the very heart of Leviticus, which we discussed last week in Sunday School...

“When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field… You shall leave them for the poor and the stranger.”

This is more than charity...

This is economic restructuring for the sake of justice.

Israel was commanded to build margin...

...literal space...

...into its fields so that immigrants, refugees, widows, and the landless could gather food with dignity.

No paperwork...

No suspicion...

No rumor-fueled restrictions.

Just welcome, provision, and shared survival.

In other words...

God does not ask us to fear the stranger.

God teaches us to make room for the stranger.

God commands us to leave space where the stranger can thrive.

And yet…

Just like the disciples in today’s gospel, we still live in a world where rumors spread faster than compassion...

...where fear tries to shape our imagination more than faith...

...where misinformation clouds our ability to see the truth about our neighbors...

The question for us to wrestle with today is this: when rumors distort our vision, how do we make space for faithful testimony? 

Love Boldly

To make space for faithful testimony is to love boldly.

I'd like to invite you to take a moment to close your eyes...

Recall the first time you stepped into this sanctuary...

The sun was shining, and the stained-glass windows were brilliant...

The very grandeur transfixed you...

Take a look at these beautiful stone arches...

Perhaps you felt a sense of the divine...

...a sense of stability...

...a sense of being at home...

For the disciples, the grandeur of the Temple was a symbol of stability in a shaky world.

But Jesus interrupts their admiration with words that must have felt like an earthquake...

“Not even one stone will be left upon another.”

Suddenly, the world feels fragile.

Then Jesus names everything that feeds fear...

false messiahs...

wars and insurrections...

earthquakes and famines...

plagues...

persecution...

betrayal...

In a world full of reasons to retreat, Jesus calls His disciples to step forward when he says:

“This will provide you with an opportunity to testify.”

In other words, the moment that feels most frightening is the moment that demands bold love.

To step boldly in a world full of bad news, full of reasons to be timid, full of hate, and a kind of chaos that could silence a community.

Jesus gives assurance to His disciples when He tells them not to be alarmed, because not a hair on their heads will be lost.

This is not to deny danger—but to step out boldly.

Luke’s theological emphasis is not on predicting the end but on shaping faithful response in the meantime.

The destruction of the Temple...

The collapse of the Empire...

The wars and natural disasters…

...none of these are the end.

What matters here, in this moment...

...is how disciples—how you and I respond...

...how we bear witness in the midst of upheaval.

To passionately love God…

…and like Jesus, embrace and include people of every age, nation, race, gender, and walk of life...

....especially when rumors shape our imagination more than reality....

...is to love boldly.

This in itself is a form of testimony.

When we love boldly, our lives expose the lies that fear tells.

Our generosity refuses to let fear tell us there isn’t enough.

Our presence challenges the rumors that shape imagination more than reality.

Loving boldly says...

I will not live in fear.

I will not treat my neighbor according to rumor.

I will not let chaos shrink my compassion.

I will witness to the God who is steadfast even when the stones fall and the stained glass fades.

Friends… on this Commitment Sunday...

To love boldly is stewardship as witness.

When we give our time, we testify!

When we serve in ministries of compassion, we testify!

When we offer our resources generously, we testify!

When we love boldly in the face of fear, we testify!

To love boldly is the first way we resist the rumors of this world and tell the truth about the God we trust. 

Serve Joyfully (Stewardship as Participation in God’s Mission)

Jesus doesn’t just describe a world falling apart...

He describes disciples stepping into that world with Spirit-given wisdom and courage.

He says to the disciples: “I’ll give you words and wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to counter or contradict.”

Even in persecution...

Even in upheaval...

Even when the ground moves beneath their feet.

Jesus imagines His followers serving...

...speaking life

...offering presence

...bearing witness with courage, not dread.

Joyful service in Luke 21 is not shallow cheerfulness...

It is a Spirit-given joy that emerges even in turmoil...

A joy that chooses to stand with the vulnerable and offer care grounded in Christ-like compassion.

Because you see friends…

Jesus’ instructions invite the disciples not to self-protect, but to stay engaged.

The world He describes is chaotic...

...full of impostors...

...conflict...

...earthquakes...

...plagues...

...and yes, betrayals…

Yet He does not tell His followers to hide...

He tells them to participate...

...to testify

...to endure

...to be present

....to be generous in spirit.

This is where joy appears in the text...

...not as mood, but as posture...

Testimony in difficult times isn’t just speech...

...it’s the audacity to act faithfully in the face of fear.

Indeed, John Wesley preached that the gospel of Christ knows of no religion but social...

...no holiness but social holiness...

We must put our hearts into a posture of joy.

If you haven’t volunteered on Friday morning during our food distribution program, I invite you to serve for a couple of hours.

The work isn’t glamorous...

...sliding boxes of food down a ramp...

...breaking boxes down...

...wiping your hands from torn apple juice cups that make your hands sticky...

...hauling the boxes of food on carts up a flight of stairs...

...standing in the slushy snow waiting on people...

...knocking your head against the stone for forgetting your chapstick in high wind...

You can’t help but wonder… “Does any of this make a difference?”

“Does this small act of service matter?”

However, what we must remember is that...

We aren’t here to solve the world’s problems...

...we are here to join what God is already doing.

Joy comes when we realize we are not the whole story...

...we are just part of God’s story.

Friends… that is joyful service...

Not serving out of duty, guilt or scarcity...

...but serving because God is already moving,

And we get to join the movement.

Friends… on this Commitment Sunday...

To serve joyfully is to participate in God’s healing work.

Joyful service says...

I am showing up because God shows up.

I will lend my hands because God’s hands are still at work.

I will offer my gifts because God is still giving life.

Joyful service is resistance to despair.

Joyful service is the refusal to let fear dictate our engagement.

Joyful service is how we say.… “The mission of God continues… and I’m in.”

Every ministry of this church...

...Connections Group

...Bagel breakfast

...Clothing Room

...Food Distribution

...Worship

...Tech Producer

....Care Team

....Cleaning Crew

...Thrift Store

....and so many more...

...is a joyful participation in God’s mission.

Every time someone serves...

...they testify that God’s work is bigger than the world’s chaos.

Lead Courageously (Stewardship as Sacrificial Trust)

We understand that this service comes at a cost.

Jesus says plainly...

You will be arrested.

You will be persecuted.

You will be betrayed.

You will be hated.

This is the moment where most people would hesitate.

This is the moment where fear would say, “Sit down. Stay quiet. Step Back.”

But Jesus ends this entire section with one extraordinary line...

“By holding fast, you will gain your lives.”

Not by your power...

Not by your fear...

Not by your withdrawal...

But by holding fast.…

...by your courageous faithfulness...

...you will find life.

Here, Jesus paints a picture of leadership that is not loud or flashy...

...but steadfast...

...the kind of leadership that refuses to abandon hope even when the world trembles.

For Luke, courageous leadership is not about status or control...

...it is about standing firm in the truth of God...

...and refusing to cooperate with the forces that harm God’s people...

To lead courageously is to follow Jesus’ example...

...resisting and dismantling systems of evil, injustice, and oppression...

...and striving for peace, justice, and reconciliation.

Leading courageously requires trust...

...trust that God is not finished with us...

...trust that the Spirit is still moving among us...

...trust that our future is not determined by fear, rumor, or scarcity.

Friends… we know this landscape...

We are living in a post-disaffiliation era...

...finding our footing as a church with limited resources...

...navigating tight finances...

...caring for an aging building...

...and discerning a renewed vision for mission and ministry in Syracuse.

It would be easy to say...

“We don’t have enough.”

“We can’t do it.”

“Our best days are behind us.”

That is the rumor fear wants us to believe.

But courageous leadership does not measure ministry by what we lack.

Courageous leadership measures ministry by what God can do through faithful people who refuse to give up.

Leading courageously means...

...choosing hope when the budget feels thin...

...investing in mission when the future feels uncertain...

...trusting God’s abundance while managing real constraints...

...committing our time, talent, and treasure even when it costs something...

Courageous stewardship is not about having extra...

It is about giving with trust.

It is about standing firm in faith when the world is trembling...

...and when the boiler is old...

...and when the elevator squeaks...

...and when the spreadsheets look tight...

...and when the church must reimagine its mission for a new season...

Friends… on this Commitment Sunday...

To lead courageously is to trust in God.

Courageous leadership is how we say:

We believe God still has a future for his church.

We believe God still has work for us to do.

We will not shrink back.

We will lead courageously.

Kerygmatic Fulfillment

So, my friends…

On this Commitment Sunday, we have wrestled with a holy question.

When rumors distort our vision, how do we make space for faithful testimony...

Because there are times when rumors shape our imagination more than reality. When such occurs, Jesus names the moment as a space for faithful testimony.

We are called to form disciples of Jesus Christ who, empowered by the Holy Spirit, love boldly, serve joyfully, and lead courageously in local communities and worldwide connections.

This is how we make space for faithful testimony…

...we love boldly… by witnessing to the God who is steadfast even when the world trembles.

...we serve joyfully… by participating in God’s redemptive work in the world with Spirit-rooted compassion.

...we lead courageously… trusting God’s future enough to give, to commit, to endure.

This is our calling.

This is our witness.

This is our testimony.

So as we respond to the Word with our commitment cards and vision for 2026...

I invite you to step forward in bold faith...

...declaring with your commitments that fear will not guide us...

God will...

In the name of our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer.