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Greetings!
How are we witnesses?
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
—Acts 1:8
I asked two spiritual brothers how they perceive MDS volunteers as witnesses. What I received was deeply inspiring to me and, I hope, for you as well.
Two-way witness
In December of 2006, some 16 months after Hurricane Katrina slammed into the coast of Louisiana, our family of four decided on a different kind of Christmas adventure. We traveled to New Orleans to witness the still existing tragic results of a natural disaster. This was not a sightseeing trip; it involved hauling mud and tearing out waterlogged insulation.
I guess it could be said we went to give witness to the love of God to total strangers. But in truth we ended up witnessing the resilient faith of God's beloved who were flooded out and neighborhoods that were torn apart.
In Acts 1:8, Luke calls us to give up our lives for the cause of Christ. Witness and martyrdom mean the same thing in the Greek vernacular of Luke's day. But it can also mean sacrifice and testifying to one's core faith values.
The lived witness of those who lost everything in Hurricane Katrina was life-changing and formational. Grace, joy and faith can show up in the most unlikely, downtrodden places.
Witnessing at its best goes two ways. It means listening to others while being prepared to share the hope that is in us in word and deed.
That for me is what the witness of MDS about. It's hauling a bucket of mud, picking up a hammer or offering a hug in the name of Jesus—whichever seems most needed at the time.
—Beryl Jantzi is entering the retirement phase of life following a vocation as pastor and as the Everence Director of Stewardship Education.
Co-creating hope
The houses and the bridges witness to what wondrous love is this:
of grips on bucket handles where tears, mud and hope meet;
of small groups faithfully saying “we can go together for a week” so seeing Jesus in each other’s eyes when they say yes to serve;
of knowing that what the tornado took can be returned and more;
of the hymn before supper “Praise God from whom all blessings flow...” after a day of work as blessing others out of their broken lives;
of seeing that what the flood submerged can rise again;
of moments noticing the new roof together in joy;
of hugs from the owners of new homes built with grace….
The new houses and bridges still witness to what wondrous love is this long after we are gone.
And so, the Spirit still hovers over the formless voids as we co-create hope with the living God.
—Roy Hange resides in Charlottsville, VA. He describes himself as a Hope Broker: sometimes pastor, district minister, inner healing and peacebuilding practioner.
Thank you, my brothers. And thank you to all the MDS volunteers who live into these beautiful descriptions, day after day.
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