Giving Witness
During these Easter
days, the lectionary offers stories of Jesus’ followers after His
resurrection. In the Acts of the
Apostles, we hear about apostles who gave witness. I have reflected on this word after a
conversation with a friend who saw a shooting on Chicago’s South Side where she
is in ministry.
A “witness” is one
who courageously speaks spiritual truth.
A “witness” – in the legal sense – is someone who sees a crime happen
and gives testimony. After hearing my
friend describe her experience, and as I reflect on my own ministry with
immigrants, I wonder if these definitions of “witness” aren’t mutually
exclusive.
If we seek to be in
authentic relationship and accompany those on the margins, we will hear
personal accounts of violence, or we may even see acts of violence with our own
eyes. With our feet firmly planted on the ground of
this real-world injustice, we aspire – like the early Jesus-followers – speak
truth and hope. The Good News of the
Resurrection only matters in the context of such injustice. We seek to have eyes open to the ways that those
on the margins are hurt by personal or systemic forces and to speak into that
reality the promise of new life.
How do you witness to Gospel hope even (or especially) in
the face of injustice and violence?
Rhonda Miska
Sinsinawa, WI
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