Can I get a Witness?

After my previous post (rant) I'm now ready to tackle the lectionary readings for this coming Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, Year B.

I was somewhat unimpressed to discover that the Gospel (this time from John) is the John the Baptist text again (it was found in Mark last week). More preparing! More crying out! More straight paths! Pastor Glenn's sermon last week was entitled "For Crying out Loud!" I'm tempted to title mine this week "For Crying out Loud Part Duex."

Well, if we must return to J the B, perhaps there's something new in John's text. Perhaps it's about witnessing.

John's Gospel tells us there was a man named John, sent from God. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all would believe. He wasn't the light, he just testified to it. (John 1:6-8 paraphrase).

We're reminded the Bibical witnesses of Christmas were always witnessing to something other than themselves. They witnessed to the amazing things God was doing in the incarnation, the coming of Christ as a human. (Thanks, Bishop Mike, for this reminder!)

So when we witness (which we are called to do) we are not to witness so that we receive the glory or that our lights shine. We merely hold the flashlight up to what God's is already doing. Maybe we can help someone to see in the dark.

This morning on NPR's "Fresh Air," Terry Gross interviewed Frank Schaeffer, son of Francis and Edith, authors who helped link evangelicals to the anti-abortion movement. Schaeffer himself promoted the religious-policial agenda but has now renounced those teaches and has joined the Greek Orthodox church.

Schaeffer commented on growing up evangelical, where he was encouraged to witness to his faith and try to turn people to Christ at every opportunity. He said he would wait patiently while people talked about their families, friends, passions and work, and then jump into the more important conversations about whether the person knew Jesus or had been saved.

His point was that was always witnessing, always trying to turn every conversation into a talk about God.

Did he miss God's genuine movement? Did he find God in the other stories people told about their daily lives? Perhaps. Perhaps that's why he doesn't live this way any more.

So what does it mean to witness?

Perhaps a witness points to something beyond herself.

Perhaps a witness points out God's simple and powerful movements in all aspects of life.

Perhaps we really must stay awake this advent season.