One of the beautiful things about having four Gospels is that we always get different perspectives on the same event. In last week’s Gospel reading from Matthew, it was unclear whether Jesus was the only one who heard God’s voice and saw the Spirit descend like a dove on him after he was baptized, but in this’s reading, John witnessing the Spirit rest on Jesus is essential to his understanding of who Jesus is (John 1: 32-34). John testifies to what he has been told and what he has seen, testifying that this one really is the ‘Only Begotten of God’ (John 1: 34). It isn’t about what John has done, but what John has witnessed!
What do you think of when you hear the word testimony? Perhaps you think of testimonies in a courtroom. Or maybe you think about the people who stand on street corners with signs and microphones loudly exclaiming the wrath of God that is coming. In my experience, it seems like those with the loudest voices are the ones who are seen as giving testimony. And, because of that, and because of the messages that many who are testifying share, I found that I had a deep discomfort with the idea. My least favorite assignment was when one of our professors in Seminary had us prepare testimonies for class. To make it worse, he selected four of us to share our testimonies in chapel… I was one of the four. Conveniently, this was also the day that all of the internship supervisors were visiting chapel. Now I didn’t just have to share with my peers and professors, but also with a bunch of people I didn’t know. The thought was very discomforting.
Even more broadly, I was uncomfortable with the idea of evangelism, despite the fact that Evangelical is in the name of our denomination. Much like testimony, I’m sure that you have many images that pop into your head when I say the word evangelism. Perhaps you have had someone try to “evangelize” you or ask if you have accepted Jesus into your heart. I remember one time during Seminary my roommate and I were at the grocery store when a stranger came up to us and asked if she could pray over me for my injured foot (which was in a boot). Still one of the weirdest experiences in my life, not going to lie. Yet, we come from a church that includes the name Evangelical in our title. So what does this mean and what does it have to do with the Gospel today?
When John is going around telling people what he heard and saw, that this is the “Only Begotten of God,” John is evangelizing. He isn’t going out with the express purpose to convert people to Christianity, after all it wasn’t even a religion yet at this point, but he was sharing about the Good News of what God has done and will continue to do in and through Jesus. He was sharing about what he had been told and what he himself had witnessed. How this one had impacted his life. This is what evangelizing is, sharing the good news!
Even with this definition though, I still had some qualms about it, especially when I think about the loud voices that are prominent telling us what Christians should and shouldn’t do, believe in, etc. I think it has been easier to sit on the sidelines as a quiet Lutheran. Until the Spirit drug me into a challenge with this topic during my final year of Seminary, and I wrote my final theology paper on the topic of Evangelism, specifically in its relationship to our understanding of theology and why we need to move theology from academia to the pews (or in our case chairs)!
One of the biggest barriers to our understanding of evangelism is that it feels like we have to be like John the Baptist in today’s Gospel story, that we have to be vocal in our sharing to those gathered around us. That we have to be loud, or have the right words. But, I think in many ways we practice evangelism through both word and deed. John is boldly proclaiming these things, while those who will become Jesus’ disciples follow him and join him in a meal. They are not standing on the corner saying, “do you know who this is?,” but they enter into relationship with Jesus. Sometimes, our actions can speak volumes about our faith and who we believe God to be.
This relationship is also important because it is from our relationship with God that we can share about who we understand God to be, just as it is through relationship which Jesus and his disciples develop their ministry. And, while we have basic tenets of our faith, who we understand God to be and who God is for us will look different based on who we are, our identities, our life circumstances, etc. Simon’s name change to Peter is an excellent example of how, through our relationship with Christ, we have different experiences and how we might be changed in the process. This is only the first chapter of John, we don’t know much about Jesus or the disciples, but we do know Jesus has decided that Simon will be called “Rock” (John 1: 42). Yet another example of someone’s name being changed in Scripture after their experience with God.
So, I think in this Gospel story, John isn’t just speaking to the Israelites of his time, but I think he really is speaking to us as well. Inviting us into a relationship with God, welcoming us to take the risk of our lives being changed by the encounter. John proclaims who Jesus is because for him there seems to be no other option; how can he keep this good news all to himself?! So, in his sharing, he invites us to share our stories too. Not with the intention of changing peoples’ minds or converting them to Christianity, but because sharing this amazing news seems like it is the only way we can respond to what God has done through Christ. So, how do you share the Gospel in your life? Like I said, it doesn’t have to be just words or loud voices on street corners, but I would invite you this week to think about the ways in which you live your life and how that testifies to who you believe God to be. This isn’t a charge to do more or be more, that’s not what our identity lies in as Christians, but I invite us into this because what we are already doing may in fact surprise us when we view it through the lens of our faith!