The Kitchen Sink
An occasional piece of paper
May 22, 2011
Vol. 14 no. 21
“Can I get a witness?” may be a familiar refrain from a few ‘60’s and ‘70’s songs. Marvin Gaye sang a song about being done wrong by his girl and the Rolling Stones covered it back in the early ’60’s. Like a lot of great song lines, they stole it from the church.
It is a question, called out usually by the preacher in black churches, asking for spontaneous affirmation of a certain truth the preacher has just been preaching. Isn’t this the truth? How many of you have felt this or had it happen to them? It is a way for the preacher to check that he is not talking over the heads of his congregation.
Witness is an important, but subtle word in the New Testament. Believe it or not, you already know it in the original Greek – “to witness (something)” is martureo.. In other words, a witness is a martyr. Kind of changes the scenery!
The Book of the Acts of the Apostles relates the brief and tragic tale of the first Christian martyr Stephen in chapter 7. Stephen’s tale is sad only in how it demonstrates the out of control violence of a mob of religious people who believe there is only one right. Like so many of the Old Testament prophets, Stephen described what he saw in a prophetic vision. Jesus did observe that the prophets were often stoned and those who heard Stephen’s visions still kept stones ready in their hands.
Becoming a martyr or witness to the Christian faith lost its popularity as a professional religious vocation by the fourth century, but being a witness has not lost its virtue for the church and faith. Still risky, however.
Knox-Metropolitan United Church
Regina, Saskatchewan