Sermons
"Bystanders or Witnesses?"
Bystanders or Witnesses?
May the God who creates us,
Redeems us and sustains us,
be with us now and always;
in your Holy name we pray. Amen.
Please be seated.
Good Evening.
On the night before he died,
on the night before he died,
he took bread,
he blessed it,
broke it
and gave it to his disciples.
He gave it to his friends,
all the ones
who were around the table,
the ones who were watching,
waiting,
although most did not know
what was to come-except for one.
All of them-they were there.
The bread, the body,
the cup, the blood
-and before the meal
-when he took
the pitcher and the bowl,
knelt below their knees,
his hands on their feet.
His friends pulled back
-recoiled-
this was too intimate-too weird.
And yet-
just as he had handed them the bread
-he insisted that he wash
-not one but all
of their toes, heels and soles.
For he wanted
-the ones at the table
-on the night before he died
-to be more than just by-standers, onlookers
he wanted-witnesses.
After the dinner-
when he left the table,
went to the Garden to pray-
-he took them all with him.
He took them and said to them,
"Stay with me,
remain with me,
watch and pray with me."
He wanted not spectators
-but witnesses
-ones who could tell the story.
When the crowds and police came
-when they led him away
-there were spectators plenty of them
-but what he wanted were witnesses.
Ones who would not say,
"I do not know the man."
But you were there,
"I swear to you I was not."
But you were I recognize you
-"Man I do not know what you are talking about."
He wanted ones
who would not hear
the caw of the bird
-the echo of the cock
-ones who were not onlookers
- mere bystanders
- -he wanted witnesses
-who could tell the story.
When he staggered to the place of the skull
-the mob was there-
calling, mocking, watching.
But what he needed
-was Simon-the Cyrene-
not an onlooker-but a participant
-a witness-one who would live the story.
On the cross that dark afternoon
-the spectators were there
-but what he needed
was Mary,
Magdelene,
John
-he needed witnesses.
Ones who could,
ones who would be there
-not flee-not leave
-ones who would be there and tell the story.
On the night before he died,
on this night-Jesus call us
-to be more than onlookers and bystanders.
On this night Jesus calls us
-to have the grace & the courage
to be witnesses.
In a world such as ours
it is easy to be spectators
-ones who walk by
-stop for moment
-offer well intentioned comments
but do not stay.
In a world such as ours
it is easier glance at pain
and look the other way.
Yet on this night-above all nights
-Jesus calls us-to be witnesses.
To be the ones who see the pain,
feel the pain, who tell the story of the pain.
God calls us
to bear witness to the pain
so that those who have the ability
-will use their gifts,
their talents to end the pain.
We have the ability
to end the suffering in our world.
The first step-is to tell the story.
So that those of us who can
-will use our gifts,
our resources
to end the pain, to stop the dying.
On this night-On the night before he died
-Jesus calls us to be witnesses
-intimately connected to the world around us. Intimately connected
to our sisters and brothers around us.
For it is as witnesses
in this our world
-that we will change our world.
Amen.