In our first lesson from Acts, we find Peter, anointed by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, preaching in Jerusalem to a large crowd from the Jewish Diaspora. He and the other eleven apostles with him are testifying to their experience of Jesus’ life, death, and his presence with them in a new way after “God raised him up . . . freed him from death.” Peter says, “all of us are witnesses,” including Thomas who wasn’t with them for Jesus’ appearance in the upper room on the evening of the day of Resurrection that our gospel lesson describes. From this gospel passage, we learn that the resurrected Christ doesn’t leave any of us out but continues to come where we may be found in order to open our eyes and hearts to the presence of God in our lives. We too are called to be witnesses to Emmanuel, God with us, however we may experience that Presence in the here and now. That is the petition in our collect for today—that we “may show forth in [our] lives what [we] profess” with our lips, in other words, that we may “walk the talk” wherever we may be. God reaches us where we are, as we are, in our own uniqueness, so our witness to the world around us will be as unique as we are. We are blessed to have had so many witnesses down through the ages to alert us to how the Divine might show up in our lives. First and foremost , of course, is scripture with all its countless prophets, sages, and poets touching our lives with the truth of God for today. That is followed by the early church fathers, the desert mothers and fathers, the saints and mystics through the centuries, artists and musicians with their unique insights, and certainly the Church in all her manifestations of wisdom and tradition. We recognize and treasure modern witnesses also that we meet through books and the Internet, through those around us in all the situations of our lives who share their experience of the Holy One with us in one way or another. As we go forth to witness with our lives, it is well to keep in mind St. Francis’ dictum, “Preach the gospel; use words if you must.”