Today I'm dwelling on the term 'witness'. Jesus calls his followers to be his witnesses "in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the ends of the earth." (That's a quote from Acts chapter 1 -- it was our text for this past Sunday's worship.) That's a tough word, especially for Progressive Christians. It's been co-opted for so long by our evangelical brothers and sisters that I, for one, have a hard time claiming the word 'witness' as part of my faith experience.
I had a lot of evangelical friends in college. I still carry my
For instance, I remember a friend going on a spring break trip with a parap-church group at their college. They went to "witness to people on the beach and bring them to Jesus." Another friend went on a trip to India with YWAM (Youth With a Mission) to "witness to the lost people following a false god". I remember the conversation wherein she described surrounding a Hindu temple and "praying for the salvation of the people inside." I was horrified. If this is what it means to be a witness, I want no part of it.
But, reading the gospel stories, I find that Jesus had a different take on what it meant to be a witness. If "witness" means "to testify to" or to "give evidence of" then I would think being a witness for Christ means giving evidence of the work Jesus did in the world. Jesus' ministry was about meeting people's needs and teaching of God's love. He fed the hungry, healed the sick, befriended the lonely, invited in the outcasts. He demanded justice for marginalized people. That's what being a witness for Christ means to me.
So, I have to unload all of my "witness baggage" from those bad experiences I have had. I have to reclaim that word and begin again. What about you?
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