What does it mean to Witness?

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
December 20th 2009
Fourth Sunday in Advent
Rev. Mark R. Bradshaw-Miller
“What Does it Mean to Witness?”
Micah 5:2-5a; Luke 1:39-55

A few weeks ago I had coffee with a college professor. I was curious about life on campus and what sorts of things were going on with the students. What I wanted to know was about the social conscious of the next generation. From her perspective the news was not encouraging. It was not bleak but for most of her students the idea of trying to make a difference in the world is just not on their agenda. Many of them live at time where civil rights are under assault and the image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is sold to the highest corporate bidder. On top of this the pace of the latest news creates a thirty second attention span, if not less. But let us not blame the children they have simply embraced the world we have created. It is a deeply depressing tale. In fact, it is a story of despair. A world where the most we can hope for is enough money to carve out our personal piece of the pie.
My thoughts on this conversation led me to the conclusion that all of us, not only our youth, are suffering from want of a good story. I believe we all live our lives by some story and the stories which we seek to carry us along cannot bear the weight of the world. What I said was that they, and we, need better stories. We need to know stories that do not neatly solve the world problems at the end of the hour drama. We need to know stories that a lifetime in the service of others matters. We need to know stories that remind us we are part of stories bigger than ourselves and even bigger than our lifetimes. The good news is that we know those stories.
It was in the dark of night that a young woman received a strange visitor. An angel spoke to hear and claimed that God chose her to be the mother of God. If Mary did not know the stories of those who had gone before her, she would not have been able to say yes. Mary knew that she was not the first woman to be chosen by God. Mary knew that God had promised Sarah would be the mother of many generations even after she was passed the age of having children. Mary also knew the story of Shiprah and Puah who trusted God enough to defy Pharaoh and ensured that Moses would be born to set his people free. Mary also knew the story of Hannah who upon hearing that she would give birth to the prophet Samuel prayed this prayer generations before:
My heart exults in the LORD; my strength is exalted in my God. There is no Holy One like the LORD… The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength. Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn. The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
Because Mary knew these stories she was able to say, “yes,” when the time came.
But even knowing the story was not enough. Mary knew that she could not go alone. And she sought out her cousin who not only knew the stories but who had her own story to tell. Elizabeth was barren and now she was going to give birth to John. So Mary knew that she and Elizabeth would have a lot to talk about. Not only in being pregnant but in the way they had been connected to the deeper stories of their faith. If this was the end of the story, these stories might simply be interesting yet have little impact for us. But the witness of Elizabeth and Mary is an invitation to all who hear. Mary and Elizabeth both give a witness to what God has done, through them and for others.
Why is there witness so powerful? The times in which they lived were desperate times. It was a difficult world with powerful stories. The story of the Roman occupation had captured the imaginations of the religious and political leadership and despair gripped the population. And into this mess God speaks to and through an unlikely pair, just like God always does. But if they didn’t know that story would they have said yes? Could they have said yes? What if they had not been nurtured in the stories of the faith? Would they have bought into the despair? Those are questions we thankfully do not have to answer because they were faithful witnesses.
There seems to be a great deal of trouble with Christmas these days. It seems that some folks believe there is a war against Christmas and that our responsibility is to fight back. Others are find themselves so exhausted with the holiday celebrations that there is not time to enjoy it or let alone reflect on its’ importance. But into this mess I would like to suggest there are other alternatives, other options. Our calling is not to be warriors but witnesses. And in order to be witnesses we need to know the stories.
Sounds simple right? But the hard part is not simply memorizing the stories but making the stories a part of our lives. We all live our lives based on some story. What is the story which is driving your life these days? Do we know these stories? Are we passing them on? What is the story which drives your daily life? Are you living in despair? What is sustaining you? Can I get a witness?
We are not called to be Mary or to be Elizabeth. Most of us will not be asked to do the miraculous. But we need to be ready. To do this faithfully we need to make their stories our stories. It truly is the antidote to despair. When the wars increase, when hunger abounds we will not be ground to inaction or overwhelmed by it all because we KNOW! We know that this is not the way it is supposed to be or even has to be. We know that woman have the power to change the world, that God came in the form of a baby. And our witness is to give witness to these life giving stories… “and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for God has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” These stories are not just for kids but are saving lives right now. Can I get a witness? Amen.