Tag: christianity

The Nature of Witness

So, for those of you who don’t know me well, I have a confession to make: I LOVE a good disaster or dystopian story. If meteors are barreling toward Earth, there’s been a nuclear meltdown, or society has been disrupted by an alien invasion–I’m totally in! For me, these stories are kind of like riding a roller coaster. They bring you to the brink of terror, then ease you safely back into the familiar. Beyond that, I find these stories to be an interesting study of humanity. As you watch or read, you’re confronted with real questions about who we are and why we behave the way we do.

That said, when a new dystopian-esque movie released last week, my boys and I didn’t hesitate before hopping in the car and driving the 30 miles or so to see it. The premise of the story is pretty simple–America devolves into another civil war and chaos and violence ensue. The story follows a group of journalists covering the horror show that is war, and explores the role journalists play in society. But for me, the overarching question that has continued to bump around my brain after seeing this film is: What does it mean to bear witness?

For journalists, bearing witness means to document and share what is happening in any given situation–both awful and awesome. Good journalists don’t make themselves a part of the story. They don’t enter into the fray. Rather, they record what they see so that they can share it with the public, allowing people to form their own conclusions and make informed decisions based on that information. I think the same is true for our Christian witness. We share the truth of who God is and what he has done in our lives, and allow others to, like Joshua, choose for themselves this day whom they will serve.

But what does that look like?

In the liturgical year, we are approaching Pentecost–the day when we remember the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the disciples, allowing them to spread the news of Jesus’s death and resurrection to thousands of people at one time. This was the fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecy to them in Acts 1:8.

With wind and fire the Holy Spirit breaks down all barriers to faith–enabling the apostles to share what they saw and experienced while living and walking with Jesus. Moreover, they share this witness in every language represented by the people listening. In this way, more witnesses are made. Those who saw the power of God that day had to have returned home talking about this extraordinary event. But it didn’t stop there. This was no feel-good news segment that airs once and then is forgotten. No, this was a movement–a surge of the spirit that would not be contained.

The disciples continued to be witnesses to Jesus, meeting daily at the Temple, preaching and teaching, healing and restoring, feeding and supporting. They lived out their faith in a way that helped others come to know the extravagant love of God.

And then some of them hit the road–compelled to chance their safety and security in places foreign and sometimes hostile to share the story of what Jesus had done in their lives. They went to synagogues and public meeting places, entered the homes of both the poor and the powerful, worked alongside people making goods to sell, sat on the riverbanks where people were doing laundry. In short, they entered into people’s daily lives, building relationships and meeting the needs of others to demonstrate the nature of God.

Some were imprisoned. Others were beaten. Stephen was stoned. John was exiled. It wasn’t easy, but they were compelled. They had a story to tell. And they chose to tell it wherever they went to whoever might listen. As Christian witnesses, that is our call, too. God has given each of us a story to tell, and we are to tell it wherever we go and to whoever might listen. That might be the grocery store checkout line, a hospital waiting room, or even a fast-food restaurant. God has given me opportunities to be a witness in each of these places.

I feel like I would be remiss if I didn’t express my opinion that being a witness doesn’t mean badgering people, or making them feel ashamed and inferior. For me, being a witness is like being a journalist. It’s about observing what’s going on around you–looking for inroads to spread the message of God. Like the disciples, we need to go into our communities and work alongside people. We need to build relationships and offer support to those in need. We need to recognize what God has done in our lives so that we can bear witness to that with others.

I think the psalmist sums it up pretty eloquently in Psalm 66:

As witnesses, we attest to what we have seen and experienced God doing. In this way, we join the great multitude of saints who have gone before us, proclaiming the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Just Breathe: A Review of the Breathe Life Bible

Recently, I had the opportunity to review a couple of Bibles through the Thomas Nelson bible review program. One Bible that I chose to peruse is the Breathe Life Bible. Though I didn’t realize it at the time, this Bible is the perfect resource for anyone who is interested in exploring the crossroads where faith and justice meet. Though compiled with those in mind who daily feel the suffocating effects of racial injustice, it is most certainly not limited to one group. As former Ambassador to the United Nations Andrew Young writes in the forward, the Breathe Life Bible is about putting faith into action, taking an active stand against injustice and oppression. Young writes that this Bible “is about making real the Beloved Community where everyone is valued and cared for.”

When my youngest was about six, he and his brother were walking home from school one afternoon with a few other students who also lived nearby. One of the students had pulled out a Little Debbie snack to eat along the way, but before she could dig in, an older boy snatched it from her hand. My little firebrand would not stand for that. He promptly took the snack back and returned it to the girl, telling the older student, “That’s not right!”

This story always makes me chuckle–if you knew my youngest, you’d understand. He’s always had a fire in his belly to stand up to something, and as he’s gotten older, that hasn’t changed. My son feels strongly about justice…more aptly, he feels compelled to take a stand against what he perceives to be injustice. And there’s a lot of it. Walk down any street in your community and I’ll bet you’ll see it. Poverty; lack of access to resources like healthcare, mental healthcare, addiction treatment, quality education, fresh food; systemic violence….the list goes on and on.

Over the years, I have come to believe that our faith is intricately wound with justice. More specifically, I believe that God calls his people to acts of justice.

#saramsnyder.com

I love that the Breathe Life Bible says that the Lord requires his people to DO justly. This call to action encompasses Jesus’ command to love our neighbors as ourselves, and his exhortation to remember that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for him. But God’s message of justice often gets diluted in feel-good messages that only touch the surface of what it means to live a life of faith. As Christians, we have a tendency to become consumers of God, rather than people who act on his word. Author and leader Brian Heasley wrote in a reflection that, “Christianity is not a self-help group.” Though we sympathize with the plight of those suffering injustice, and maybe even empathize at times, how often do we act on their behalf? How often do we stand up and say, “That’s not right!”

The Breathe Life Bible is unique in that it also offers practical insight into how we can cultivate a life of social justice. There are essays by social justice leaders about what it means to put our faith in practice, commentary by Biblical theologians about what it means to act justly, special first-person accounts of Biblical characters that help the reader engage deeply and personally with God’s word, devotions written by pastors and teachers who share how God’s word impacts our lives, and opportunities to simply inhale and exhale God’s spirit.

Here’s a peek at some of those features:

God calls us to DO justice. And the Breathe Life Bible is a good companion for the journey. Regardless of which Bible you use, however, the fact remains that God doesn’t want us sitting on the sidelines of justice. Rather, he calls us to take action–to stand up and, in his name, work to make the world a better place.

God of Justice, open my eyes, stir my heart, and teach me how to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with you today. Amen

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

New Year, One Word: Compassion

Over Christmas, our family took a trip to NYC–along with half the world’s population! It was beyond crowded at most of the tourist spots. Just for some perspective, here’s a look at our ferry on the way back from Ellis Island:

See those life vests up above? Just decoration…if that sardine can went down, we were all going with it.

If I’m being honest, I am not really at my best among hordes of people. In my better moments, I see crowds as a nuisance–something to get through in order to experience something I want. And at my worst…well…I mostly wish they would just all go away so I can fully enjoy whatever I want to enjoy. It’s selfish and entitled, and I am fully aware of that in the moment. Unfortunately, that awareness doesn’t always precipitate change.

That’s why I am floored that Jesus’ response to the overflow of people hounding him along his journey isn’t one of exasperation; rather, Matthew tells us (three times!) that Jesus saw the crowds and had compassion.

Compassion is a powerful word. It’s more than just feeling bad for someone. Instead, to have compassion means that you are so deeply concerned about the circumstances of another human being that, according to Merriam Webster, you have “an urgent desire to aid” them. When Jesus saw the crowds around him, his heart was broken open. He saw their sickness, both spiritual and physical, and was compelled by an urgent desire to make them better.

Too often, when I look at others, I don’t see them with compassion. I see the poor choices, the dirty fingernails, the tattered clothes, the coarse language, the cloying neediness, the boisterous braggadocio, the condescending glance, the mental illness, or even the gleaming success….and I walk away full of my own self-righteousness, somehow thinking that Jesus’ compassion is a gift only for me.

In the gospel of Luke, Jesus gives those who will listen a lesson on compassion. Love your enemies, he says. Do good, and lend expecting nothing in return. If you do, you will have a great reward. You will be acting the way children of the Most High act, for–and this is the kicker– he is kind to ungrateful and wicked people.

God is kind to ungrateful and wicked people. And who might those ungrateful and wicked people be, per se? Get a mirror.

God always sees right into the hearts of his children. And when he finds their particular sickness (which we all have), he doesn’t turn away. He is so concerned for them, for us, that he has an urgent desire to act. God brings healing and hope to all those he encounters. And, if we’re willing, he’s offering us the chance to take part in this healing with him by showing others compassion.

We are called to be a people of compassion–a people who are so concerned with the problems facing other human beings that we have an urgent desire to aid them. But so often, we let our own sickness keep us from engaging in this practice. We put ourselves first, and quite honestly, most of us don’t even show compassion there.

This year, my focus word is compassion. I want to look at others with Jesus’ eyes–to see beyond the surface and into the heart, and to allow that knowledge of who, what, and why someone is (fill in the blank) break open my soul and lead me to act rather than pass by. It won’t be easy…I realize that I’m fighting against some deeply ingrained habits of behavior. But if I open the door of my heart to God’s compassion, I think that change will come…

Blessings and Peace,

Sara