go outside and testify
An editorial from Monte McClain
An editorial from Monte McClain
Pastor, Fruitvale Presbyterian Church
The past weeks have seen a surge in political activity. From the positioning of multiple candidates on both sides of the spectrum, you would think that the presidential election is slated for next month. Several are already the darlings of particular groups – whether that be Hollywood, the Political Parties, the Red States, the Blue States, or the Evangelical Lobby. Each claims to speak for the whole, for the diverse people of our nation. In the same time period, Molly Ivins, the prolific nationally syndicated columnist, died of breast cancer. In her final column she encouraged her readers – and all citizens – to remember that “We are the people who run this country. We are the deciders. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step out and take some action…” Granted, Molly Ivins spoke and wrote from one side of the political spectrum, but in meditating on those final words of a long career, as she faced her imminent death, I’m struck by the power of her thought in terms of being a disciple of Jesus the Christ and living my faith out in the context of our Fruitvale Presbyterian Church faith community.
It seems that faith is being spoken of wherever you look. The possibility that Jesus’ tomb was discovered along with Mary Magdalene’s and their baby’s in Jerusalem is the subject of a current Discovery Channel Show. Several outspoken conservative Christian leaders lambaste the front-running Republican nominees for not being Christian enough. The power of a good life – the ideal life – is being heralded as the secret knowledge contained in the latest best-seller called The Secret; if we simply envision and focus upon the things that we want, we will supernaturally attract them to us – good jobs, cash, the perfect car, and a leaner body will simply appear as we think about them. All of these events are occurring and being discussed as we journey through Lent – the church season in which we take the time to focus, or maybe re-focus, on who Jesus of Nazareth was, what he said, and how he lived in a way that revealed that he wasn’t just a good teacher, possessed a secret for material wealth, or was the foundation of DaVinci code related mysteries; but rather that he was and is the Living Christ who transformed the universe through his death and resurrection, and invites us to transformation by living in that same resurrection power today, here, and now.
How often is it that we let others – politicians, Hollywood stars, day-time TV divas, or best-selling authors – speak for us? In a generation in which many people have no personal experience with the church community or the faith we profess and possess in Jesus Christ, how can we be surprised when we seem to often let others speak for us because they have a title, following, or celebrity? We tend to believe – and rightly so – that God will provide the testimony, spread the good news that the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings power, purpose, and passion to our daily lives, meaning to our work, and transformational community to our congregations. We tend to think that God will provide someone else to do that testifying. We don’t want to be a bother in the line at Safeway, a nuisance in our workplace, or a lightening rod in our neighborhood. I’m reminded of the story of Esther in the Hebrew Scriptures, in which Esther becomes the queen. She wonders how God will save her people, and her uncle Mordecai plainly states to her, “who knows but that you have come to the [position in which you are] for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
If there is a secret to faith it’s that God also has faith in us, that through Jesus we too can spread the good news of God’s love and justice through our words, actions, presence, relationships, and silence. God doesn’t simply entrust this mission to the professional clergy, the PhD’ed, or Nobel Prize-winning writers. We are the people that make up the church. We are those invited to share the story of resurrection and our stories of spiritual transformation. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step out and take some action to testify to what we believe and how it changes the world. We need people in the streets standing for justice, voicing the concerns of God’s heart, and working to make the Peace of God the Peace of our World.
It seems that faith is being spoken of wherever you look. The possibility that Jesus’ tomb was discovered along with Mary Magdalene’s and their baby’s in Jerusalem is the subject of a current Discovery Channel Show. Several outspoken conservative Christian leaders lambaste the front-running Republican nominees for not being Christian enough. The power of a good life – the ideal life – is being heralded as the secret knowledge contained in the latest best-seller called The Secret; if we simply envision and focus upon the things that we want, we will supernaturally attract them to us – good jobs, cash, the perfect car, and a leaner body will simply appear as we think about them. All of these events are occurring and being discussed as we journey through Lent – the church season in which we take the time to focus, or maybe re-focus, on who Jesus of Nazareth was, what he said, and how he lived in a way that revealed that he wasn’t just a good teacher, possessed a secret for material wealth, or was the foundation of DaVinci code related mysteries; but rather that he was and is the Living Christ who transformed the universe through his death and resurrection, and invites us to transformation by living in that same resurrection power today, here, and now.
How often is it that we let others – politicians, Hollywood stars, day-time TV divas, or best-selling authors – speak for us? In a generation in which many people have no personal experience with the church community or the faith we profess and possess in Jesus Christ, how can we be surprised when we seem to often let others speak for us because they have a title, following, or celebrity? We tend to believe – and rightly so – that God will provide the testimony, spread the good news that the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings power, purpose, and passion to our daily lives, meaning to our work, and transformational community to our congregations. We tend to think that God will provide someone else to do that testifying. We don’t want to be a bother in the line at Safeway, a nuisance in our workplace, or a lightening rod in our neighborhood. I’m reminded of the story of Esther in the Hebrew Scriptures, in which Esther becomes the queen. She wonders how God will save her people, and her uncle Mordecai plainly states to her, “who knows but that you have come to the [position in which you are] for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)
If there is a secret to faith it’s that God also has faith in us, that through Jesus we too can spread the good news of God’s love and justice through our words, actions, presence, relationships, and silence. God doesn’t simply entrust this mission to the professional clergy, the PhD’ed, or Nobel Prize-winning writers. We are the people that make up the church. We are those invited to share the story of resurrection and our stories of spiritual transformation. And every single day, every single one of us needs to step out and take some action to testify to what we believe and how it changes the world. We need people in the streets standing for justice, voicing the concerns of God’s heart, and working to make the Peace of God the Peace of our World.
Peace to you and yours,
Monte
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