What the Witnesses Saw

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There is a word that has changed meanings on us.

Martyr. We use it now to describe someone who dies for what they believe. That, however, is not where the word started. In the early church, a martyr was simply a witness. They were someone who testified to what they had seen and heard. The word is the Greek martyros, and it shows up throughout the book of Acts to describe people who stood before councils and said, this is what we saw. This is what happened. We cannot say otherwise.

Stephen was called a witness before he became what we now call a martyr. And in his final moments, he looked up and saw the glory of God, and Jesus, standing.

What strikes me is that the creation does the same thing Stephen did. It bears witness. Psalm 19 says the heavens are telling the glory of God, day after day, in a language that needs no translation. Every clear night sky, every dawn, every season turning creation witnesses. It is not an argument. It is simply testimony.

And you and I are invited into that same work.

Not necessarily to die for our faith, though some have and some will. But to be a person whose life testifies. To say, by the way you live and love and endure, this is what I have seen. This is what has steadied me. I cannot say otherwise.

That is what it means to be a witness. That is what it means to be inspired: breathed into by the same Spirit who moved over the waters, who came upon the prophets, who filled the room where the disciples were praying.

From the Sermon Library

This past Sunday I preached on Stephen's death in Acts 7, and what it means that Jesus was standing at the right hand of God when Stephen looked up. The sermon is called Arrivals because when we die, we do not only depart, we arrive. [Read Here]

For Your Sunday Full liturgy is available for the Sixth Sunday of Easter. "God who is not far from any of us, we gather in your presence, trusting that you hold our lives . . ." anchors the Opening Prayer.

From the Website

I recently published a piece on Bible Verses About Inspiration. I write about what the word theopneustos (God-breathed) actually means, how the Spirit works in us and through us, and why creative courage and faithful witness flow from the same divine source. [Read it here]

A Prayer for the Week

Lord, make me a witness. Not a performer, not an arguer. Simply a witness. Let my life testify to what I have seen of your goodness, your faithfulness, and your grace. When I am tired and the journey feels like too much, remind me that you meet every arrival with bread and rest. Come, Holy Spirit. Amen.