Take The Witness Stand

St. Luke in the book of Acts, records that after the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples and said, "You shall be my witnesses." (Acts 1:8)

A lot of people have problems with that, and as they sing some of the great hymns of the Church, you can almost hear them adding: "I love to hear the story"...if it doesn't last more than twenty minutes. Or again, "Take my life and let it be"...yes, let it be, Lord, let it be. "Have thine own way, Lord" with Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Smith. Or how about, "If Jesus goes with me...", it may be embarrassing for both of us?

Some of us may not be able to speak easily about our faith. We are the quiet ones. There are some people who have something to say, and then there are those who have to say something! But if our lives have been touched by the Lord, then really we have to "say" something! We must share the good news. We must let the rest of the world know that we too have been touched by the Master.

The way we do the "saying" however can vary a great deal. The Scriptures tell how "the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy." (Ps. 65:13) And in the hymn "This is my Father's world" we hear the words, "the birds their carols raise, the morning light, the lily white, declare their Maker's praise."

There is a witness in the daisy that lifts its head in praise to its Maker. And so, like that lovely flower by the roadside, we too can bear witness in faithful living day by day.

We wish it could be more natural for all of us to share what God has done for us. In the 66th Psalm, the writer says: Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me." (vs. 16) But even when our voices fail us, and words don't seem to fill the bill, the witness of a life of love, of a life of caring, is still measured by our Savior, as acceptable "coin" in Heaven's book‑keeping accounts.