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Meditation: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26

Saint Matthias, Apostle

… a witness to his resurrection. (Acts 1:22)

“Everyone, stand up!” Peter called out. “I’m going to ask a series of questions. If your answer is yes, stay standing. If not, sit down. Is everyone ready? First, were you there when Jesus was baptized? What about when he fed the five thousand? Were you there when he healed the blind man?” And so the questions continued, as more and more people sat down. In the end, only two men remained standing.

While it probably didn’t look exactly like this, this passage describes the apostles searching for a person to take the place of Judas Iscariot. In the end, they asked the Lord to help them choose, and he picked Matthias.

So what was this new position about? When all was said and done, Matthias was called to be a witness—a witness to everything he had seen Jesus say and do.

You may not be called to be an apostle or an apostle’s successor, as your bishop is. But at the same time, God has called you to be a witness. He wants you to testify about what it’s like to walk with the Lord through all kinds of experiences, through tough times and times of blessing; through times of great joy, deep sorrow, and the everyday life in between. Maybe you have seen someone healed through prayer. Maybe you have had a particularly powerful experience of his presence. Or maybe you have run to him for wisdom or comfort in a challenging situation. No experience is too big or too small for you to share it.

Today is a good day to work on your witness. Take a few minutes to remember the special times of your journey with the Lord. Think about the way he is with you in ordinary situations. Recall the miracles you’ve seen him do in other people’s lives. No doubt, you have a story to tell.

Now, ask the Lord to bring to mind someone you can share your story with. It doesn’t have to be long or complicated. It just has to come from the heart. You never know how the Lord will use you to touch people and change their lives!

“Lord, give me courage to be your witness today!”

Psalm 113:1-8; John 15:9-17

A Christian Pilgrim

HE WAS CHOSEN TO REPLACE JUDAS ISCARIOT [ACTS 1:15-17,20-26]]

MATTHIAS, whose feast we celebrate today, was chosen to replace Judas as “a witness” to Jesus’ resurrection (Acts 1:22). Matthias was chosen in part because he had been with Jesus from the start of His ministry and had stayed faithful to Him throughout His travels and preaching. Matthias saw the risen Christ ascend to the Father in heaven as well (Acts 1:21-22). As a result, he was considered a credible witness to the Gospel, one who could speak from firsthand experience about the Lord.

It is important to understand that all this happened before the miracle of Pentecost. After God poured out His Spirit, great apostles like Barnabas and Paul were raised up who had not been with Jesus during His ministry and did not see Him die and rise. What qualified them? Jesus promised His disciples that when the Holy Spirit came, He would “bear witness” about Him (John 15:26), bringing the reality of Jesus’ presence to life within them (John 14:23). The Holy Spirit, who came at Pentecost, revealed the risen Lord to them so powerfully that they could testify to His reality.

Even today, we can receive Jesus into our hearts in just as powerful a way. As God pours His love into us through the Spirit, Jesus comes to live within us, and we become His witnesses. We no longer just know about Jesus, we know Jesus – and we are transformed. Jesus’ victory over death begins to open up to us the fullness of life that God intended for us from the beginning: a life marked by joy, hope, and confidence that we are His beloved children (Romans 8:16). We begin to live day by day, hour by hour, with Him. We no longer thing the same or act the same. We may not even look the same!

Let us now ask the Holy Spirit to show us the risen Lord with such power that we too are enabled to be witnesses to the Gospel. This is God’s glorious promise to us, an inheritance in which we can all partake.