A Living Mystery
Writer Madeleine L'Engle––author of A Wrinkle in Time––explains the profound nature of being a witness this way ... "To be a witness does not consist in engaging in propaganda, nor even in stirring people up, but in being a living mystery. It means to live in such a way that one's life would not make sense if God did not exist." She's quoting Cardinal Emmanuel Suhard, Archbishop of Paris (1940-49) in her book, Walking on Water. I think that’s brilliant.
To be a witness is to be a living mystery.
People can’t figure us out.
We are called to live this mysterious life in a number of ways. Or if you like, there are a number of forms of evangelism, or sharing the gospel, or living on mission. While the mission may manifest differently for different followers of Jesus, in different places, at different times ... we are all witnesses. Jesus of course is our ultimate example of what it looks like to be a witness. You see, how we witness ought to reflect what we have witnessed from Christ. And when we look at his life and ministry a few things come into focus with respect to being witness: presence, service, character, and words.
Let's consider each briefly ...
Presence.
One of the most powerful qualities of Jesus' witness is that he was simply with people. He was present. In fact, one of his names "Immanuel" ... literally means God with us (see Matthew 1:23). As Christians our presence is meant to bear witness to Christ. We draw close in suffering, with empathy and compassion and lament as God in Christ drew close to us. Priest Henri Nouwen wrote in one of his journal as he traveled across Latin America, “More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them." What a beautiful vision. Do you see? Witnesses of Jesus live with mystery when we are simply and contently present with people in everyday moments of life.
Service.
Jesus was not simply present, he also served people. He met their needs with his love and power. In turn, we live mysteriously when we live in weakness and generosity. In weakness we receive help from our church family and neighbors, while also serving others by meeting their physical, emotional, material, and spiritual needs. This is a life that demands explanation. Paul summarizes this aspect of being witnesses to the Galatian church, "Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). When we serve one another, when we shoulder their load with them and for them ... we bear witness to Christ. This is personal but also vocational. Doing your job (a fundamental aspect of service), doing your work well is a matter of gospel service to the world.
Character.
We also bear witness to the gospel by cultivating character, particularly in the form of the fruit of the Spirit––love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control––and by living with integrity and character (see Galatians 5:22-24). We don't seek to win in life, driven by the vacuous bottom line and fleeting visions of success. Rather we seek to show love and reflect Christ. That's character. Writer David Brooks observes that when we don't focus on what he calls character formation, "You follow your desires wherever they take you, and you approve of yourself so long as you are not obviously hurting anyone else" (The Road to Character, xiv). Left to ourselves, our lives are not that mysterious. They are just about us. But true character is a life lived announcing the virtues of another person … another world even.
Words.
Finally, there is another dimension of bearing witness which comprises a large portion of Jesus' ministry but is often absent in our own witnessing. Words. As a general rule, most modern Christians don't mind learning and even are naturally drawn to the ministry of presence, service, and character. But we get real uncomfortable with words. Why? Because words leave no doubt. They leave no wiggle room. You make few enemies these days if you are present with people, help them, and maintain your character throughout. But as soon as we start talking about or explaining this mysterious life through out words ... people get uncomfortable. In our cultural moment this is perhaps the most costly form of witnessing. Paul encourages us to complement the witness of our lives with the witness of our words, because “faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
