Archive for witness

By the numbers

June 16, 2016 / / Comments Off on By the numbers

 

The Lost Sheep, c.1898 Alfred Usher Soord

The Lost Sheep, c.1898
Alfred Usher Soord

 

The gospel reading for this day (Matthew 18: 10-20) begins with the parable of the lost sheep, followed by Jesus’ teaching about confronting someone who wrongs you. The words are very familiar, and at first pass their juxtaposition seemed odd. A beautiful story joined with rules of procedure? How did we get here? But then I saw the two sections as ideas held in balance.

The parable is a story of God’s great love for the individual, even from his mighty perspective of the whole:

What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray.

The second lesson begins with individuals, then adds two or three witnesses, and finally the entire congregation. Jewish law required the testimony of two witnesses to establish truth (which, by the way, is why the Spirit bears witness with our spirit), and so the individual’s power over another individual is limited.

Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

Jesus words, ““If he listens to you, you have gained your brother”  and “ if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector” are words of retrieval and loss.

It seems as if God’s love for the one does not make the individual the most important. There’s balance, not privilege. Perhaps this is a manifestation of the Trinity. The Lord is God, the Lord is One, and never without a witness.

 

Category: parables, Trinity, truth, witness /

Speaking truth, shining light

August 30, 2015 / / One comment

I think as journalists, clearly we are professionals. Clearly, this is what we signed up to do, and we can’t let any of this fog our vision. We have to be clear-headed and sober in digesting this information, analyzing what’s going on. But I think as journalists who are also humans, I don’t think we do a good enough job identifying that there actually is a weight here, that this does take a toll in some way. I think we’re taught to be vigilant, and courageous, and speak the truth and shine light in very dark places, but that means you have to go to very dark places and shine light. That can take a lot out of you.

Trymaine Lee speaking with Gene Demby of NPR about the personal toll of covering the interactions between African-Americans and police in Ferguson, Mo. in the year after Michael Brown’s death.

 

The Lectionary has had me reading Acts this month, and it’s not a comforting read. Every day it’s preaching and beatings, imprisonment, court appearances, and so much posturing and conniving by various officials. I am following Paul from city to city, but no matter where the story goes, what I’m feeling is “no way out.”

So I was thinking about Paul when I read a passage in Mark. Speaking of coming persecutions Jesus says, “But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them.” (Mark 13:9)

And for the first time I saw the trials as a form of stealth–how else would you get an audience to witness to these people? You have to stand before the council. It’s the only way in, and we have to get in, but it’s a dark and dangerous path and it’s almost certainly a one way trip.

I believe that Christians, like journalists, are called to go to the dark places to speak truth and shine light. We cannot be content that there is darkness in the world or that we will always have the poor. But I feel the fear. And like the third servant in the Parable of the Talents, I know that God is demanding and the world is harsh, and I am tempted to bury my faith instead of trying to convince others to share it.

The lesson, I suppose, is that whether you act or fail to act, there is always a cost. There is no dodge. It’s what we signed on for, but we’re told the Spirit will give us words, so in the darkness we might proclaim light.

 

 

Category: African-American, witness /

Couldn’t keep it to myself

April 14, 2015 / / One comment
Life of Christ Visualized: no.2053 1943 Photo: VCU Libraries

Life of Christ Visualized: no.2053 1943
Image: VCU Libraries

 

As he was now drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!” And some of the Pharisees in the multitude said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

 Luke 19:37-40

 

I said I wasn’t gonna tell nobody, but I couldn’t keep it to myself…
what the Lord has done for me.
You oughta been there when He saved my soul.
That Sunday morning when He put my name on the roll.
I started walking, started talking, started singing, started shouting
about what the Lord has done for me. 

–Professor Alex Bradford

Category: African-American, blessings, Easter, Palm Sunday, witness, worship /

The world as witness

July 27, 2014 / / One comment
Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia Memorial Swissair Flight 111 Photo: seemsArtless

Peggy’s Cove, Nova Scotia
Photo: seemsArtless

 

I’ve been reading in the book of Joshua recently–not a comforting backdrop to all that’s going on in Gaza these days–and today I came upon a story that holds a familiar verse. At the end of his life, after all the fighting is over and God has given the land into the hands of the Israelites, Joshua calls the tribes together at Shechem and puts a question to them: “Choose this day whom you will serve.”

Joshua warns the people that this is not a vow to be taken unadvisedly or lightly, and he proceeds to give them a bit of very stern “marriage counseling,” if you will. Recounting the recent violence (and there’s been a lot of it since they left Egypt), Joshua reminds the tribes that their triumph in battle has been by God’s strength and will, and that God has given them a land on which they had not labored, cities which they had not built, and the fruit of vineyards and oliveyards which they did not plant. They have come into a wonderful life, but not by their own strength, skill, or deserving.

The people immediately answer that they will serve the Lord, and Joshua rebukes them, pressing them,

“You cannot serve the Lord; for he is a holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions or your sins. If you forsake the Lord and serve foreign gods, then he will turn and do you harm, and consume you, after having done you good.” (Joshua 24: 18-20)

 But the people insist, “Nay, but we will serve the Lord.”

It’s at this point that Joshua, knowing he will not be around to remind them of their vow, charges the people “You are witnesses against yourselves.” Then, perhaps also knowing human nature and memory and how difficult it is to make any national decision persist, Joshua does two things: he writes down the covenant, and places a large stone under the oak in the sanctuary.

It’s what he said next that struck me:

“Behold, this stone shall be a witness against us; for it has heard all the words of the Lord which he spoke to us; therefore it shall be a witness against you, lest you deal falsely with your God.” 

The stone has heard everything. It’s more than a reminder to the people. The stone is a witness, and if the nation forgets or bears false witness, creation will speak. The passage reminded me of Jesus’ words in Luke, “if these were silent, the very stones would cry out.”

I think about living in a world where the stones bear witness. I wonder what else they’ve heard. And do I listen when they cry, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord!”

 

Category: creation, witness / Tags:
 
Wordpress Theme by ThemeZee