The disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” …. “Men of Galilee,“ [the angels] said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?” (Acts 1:6, 11).

I suppose there’s nothing inherently wrong with gazing into the sky, especially if you’ve just been watching Jesus ascend to heaven!  But the time comes when continuing to gaze at the sky leads God’s people to miss the point.

Jesus hasn’t called us to be sky-gazers; he has called us, and equipped us by his Spirit, to be his witnesses.  And the people to whom we are to offer our witness don’t live in the sky, they live right here on the ground all around us.

When we hear the word witness, we immediately flip into courtroom mode: trial, attorneys, judge, jury, and little ol’ me, sweating in the witness box.  I’ve just sworn to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” and am now starting to wonder if anyone could ever swear to do such a thing!

Of course, a witness in a trial is only responsible to share what she saw and heard, what he knows about the matter before the court.  Few of us are or need to be “expert witnesses”; it’s okay to just be “ordinary” witnesses.

And witness has a wider world of meaning than just a courtroom.  When I’m hiking and am starting to feel I’ve lost the way, how relieved I am to see that trail blaze!  Someone has gone before me and has left a witness to the right way to go!  Or I finally drag myself, hopeless and destroyed, to a 12-step program – and hear people bearing witness to their hopelessness and destruction, and to having discovered something about the way out.  Or I stumble upon grandmother’s diary in the attic and discover a treasure-trove of wisdom and love.  Or after the funeral, I return home to find casseroles and flowers on my porch, a witness that I am known and loved even in my grief and loss.

To be a witness is to be an influencer, and there are all kinds of ways to bring Jesus-influence into the lives of those around us.

Let’s not miss the point: Jesus isn’t all that interested in restoring Israel’s kingdom, America’s kingdom, or my kingdom. He is very interested in seeing God’s kingdom come, and his will being done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Let’s not miss the point: standing around staring into the sky, hoping that a spiritual experience will continue, or that a new and fresh one will rain down upon us, isn’t what we’re called to.  We’re not to stare into the sky, we are to fix our eyes on Jesus, and allow his Spirit to bear his witness, in and through our “ordinary” yet uniquely Spirit-guided lives.

What are some ways God has uniquely shaped you to bear witness to Christ and his Kingdom?  Ask God to open opportunities for you to bear your witness in your ways.

What’s a way God is wanting to “stretch” or “grow” you as his witness?  Ask for that Spirit-stretching and –growing!