What Would You Testify?
AM Psalm 140, 142 • PM Psalm 141, 143:1-11(12)
Prov. 8:1-21 • Philemon 1-25 • John 12:9-19
In today’s gospel reading we get John’s account of the triumphal entry. What caught my eye was the dynamic of the crowd. It is clear that the crowd that witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead was activated and was testifying that Jesus was performing miracles. This telling even mentions that the Priests wanted to have Lazarus killed because of this movement. At the end of the passage the Priests bemoan the fact that the crowd is rallying behind Jesus. It seems (in this account) like this crowd created the momentum for the triumphal entry. For me, every time I think about the crowd shouting “Hosanna,” I am always reminded that it is in essence the same crowd that shouted “crucify him.”
This leads me to the question of what gets us excited enough to testify? What miracle would be enough for us to publicly proclaim God’s work in our lives? How long would that momentum stick, and what would be the unexpected thing that would cause us to flip to a different perspective? In our turbulent social media world, we see the crowd rally behind and just as quickly criticize people who take polarizing or definitive positions. Where are we in that crowd?
We witness miracles daily. Perhaps not people being raised from the dead, but an infinite number of tiny miracles that make our daily life “normal”. When you have the opportunity to witness the lives of those who are faced with significant daily struggles, it can bring into perspective the miracles in our lives that we so easily take for granted. With these “micro-miracles” in view, there is plenty for us to proclaim and testify. God’s presence, unconditional love, moments of joy, peace, and fulfillment happen from the moment we wake up until the moment we go to bed every day. There is grace, forgiveness, and compassion that we are given so greatly that we can offer them to others on God’s behalf. When are these enough to compel us to testify?
Written by Dan Robinson
Dan Robinson is the Media Ministries specialist at St. Paul’s, overseeing the streaming of services online.