There was a movie in 1985 featuring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGinnis titled

Transcription

1 There was a movie in 1985 featuring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGinnis titled Witness. It was about an Amish boy who, by accident, sees an undercover police officer being murdered. The movie tells the story of how the lead investigator in the case becomes an unwilling participant in the Amish community. Book takes Samuel (the boy) and Rebecca, his mother, back to their community, but he is wounded in the process. Although Book needs modern medical attention, he knows that the corrupted police department would find him. He ends up under the care and keeping of Rebecca, her father, and the befuddled Amish. The title of the movie Witness ends up having several definitions. The most obvious is the witnessing of the murder by the young Amish boy. But, there are other moments of witness. John Book witnesses the simplicity of life that the Amish people live. He s frustrated by it and nearly blows his cover on several occasions. He s also fascinated by their community and how they work together. Book takes a romantic interest in the boy s mother, who was widowed. (It was Harrison Ford after all.) They both realize that each has a place in their own world. The bad guys are caught and everyone goes back to where they belong. 1

2 However, the witness of John Book and the Amish community to each other of respect, kindness, and protection, changes Book and the community for the better. Book is so completely a part of the community that when he eventually leaves, Rebecca s father tells him to be careful out there among the English. It s interesting how horrific circumstances can move people to see the world differently. Our lesson from Acts the martyrdom of Stephen is a similar story of witnessing. We hear only the end of this story. It begins a few chapters and verses before. Stephen is chosen to be one of the deacons who will ensure that the distribution to the widows takes place decently and in order. Like every new movement/organization, there have been a few hiccups. It seems that the Hebraic Jews for Jesus were getting the lion s share of the distribution. The Hellenistic Jews for Jesus were lacking. Why? It was probably a language issue. Stephen helped even the distribution and at the same time witnessed to the story of Jesus resurrection. 2

3 This did not make the Temple authorities happy. They began to see Stephen as much of a threat as they did Jesus. They had him arrested and put him on trial, even though all knew he was innocent. When they asked him to defend his actions, he began by retelling the history of Israel. Stephen didn t leave anything out. Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses he hit all the Hebrew All-Stars. All he had to do was praise the Temple and the Temple authorities and he would have been home free. And, yet, he persisted. He persisted telling the story of God being upset with Israel via the prophet Isaiah.just like Jesus did. Finally, he calls them a stiff-necked people the very words Moses used when he caught the people worshipping a golden calf. The crowd went wild. Literally. Stephen was using his outside voice now. He declared that he saw Jesus, filled with the Spirit, at the right hand of God the Father. They couldn t carry him out to the cliff fast enough. 3

4 Stripped of his clothes, which were piled at the feet of this zealot named Saul, he prays for forgiveness for his transgressors and dies. Stephen is not only the first deacon, but also the first martyr for the sake of Christ. Martyr, if you didn t know, is from the Greek. It means witness. Stephen s witness was to tell truth to power. He accused the authorities of corruption and injustice two of God s least favorite actions. Stephen s choice cost him everything. There was another witness that day. Saul wasn t young and this certainly wasn t accidental, but he watched it all unfold before him. The consequence of Saul s witness of hate and persecution would soon bring him to the hard ground of reality. He, like John Book, would become the recipient of care from befuddled Jesus followers. This tells me that to witness to martyr encompasses many perspectives and has the potential for consequences we may not have envisioned. 4

5 Yet, as Christians we must witness. We must proclaim the Gospel and strive for justice and peace. How do we do that? We tell the truth. We refuse to claim a story that is not Christ s story. Tim Suttle, in a 2015 sermon, describes this witness: When the world says war, we say peace. When the culture says despair, we say hope. When they say win at any cost, we say the last will be first. When the world says revenge, we say forgiveness. When the world says more, we say enough. Based on the Samuel/Saul perspective of witness, I would add When we see or hear cruelty, we say stop. When we see the wounded, we care. When we see disparity, we redistribute. When we are offered a story different from our own, we listen. When we find ourselves at the center of controversy, we should expect divine intervention of some nature. 5

6 There is another aspect of witness we shouldn t forget: sacrifice. Thanks be to God, we will not likely face being put to death by stoning. But, we should not forget that there are Christians in this world who have been and are being put to death in these days. There are some who are losing or have lost their homes or livelihoods. To be a witness to the story of Jesus is risky business. Speaking truth to power is risky business. Not to do so is riskier for all of creation. We need to remember that we do not stand alone. We have the community of Stephen and all the saints. We have the community of the Triune God. We have each other. We can trust that God can and will turn the hearts of those who hold the clothing and watch while others hurt. We can be ready to nurse them back into spiritual health. So, go witness. Go martyr. Be careful out there among those who cannot accept the truth of the risen Christ. 6