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Bearing Witness

Colossians 3:12-17 NIV

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In this rich passage Paul called believers to fully embrace their identities in Christ. He describes what it is like to live and work as God’s people.  Paul has described Christlike character, he has elevated love as a unifying virtue, he has centered the community of believers on the Peace and Word of Christ as the foundation of the community, and then encourages a unified life under Christ’s name:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

These words have prompted me to think about how observable our work as educators is and all that we get to witness. These words remind me that the work we do as educators is rooted in our inner life with Christ. The phrase that comes to mind is to “bear witness.” Meaning we testify through words and life to the reality of who Jesus Christ is and what God has done.  It is both something we say and something we embody.

Parker Palmer in his writings about the vocation of teaching observes, “we teach who we are.”  Palmer believes that the inner life of the teacher is as important as the content they teach.  If we lay a Wesleyan theological framework over Palmer’s construct, what we teach bears witness to who we are and whose we are. 

What will you bear witness to as a faculty member, a staff person or administrator as you encounter students? What does our encounters with students reveal about our inner life?

Teaching who we are communicates something about the story of God that forms us and will form your students. 

I am always encouraged by what we, as educators get to bear witness to in Christian higher education. In this season of contested space in higher education it is essential that we bear witness to that which sets us apart. I have thought of a few possible expressions of bearing witness.  You may think of others.

1. We get to bear witness to God as creator active in the lives of our students.  God has breathed new life into your students with a divine call that has led them to NBC.  That call has reshaped their priorities, their family life, their understanding of their future, in most cases challenged their finances, opened doors to new relationships and much more.  Nothing is ever the same after someone embraces a call from God.  Think about it…We have front row seats to God’s miracles of creation!
2. We get to Bear witness to the wonder that God has entrusted students to us!! That trust and responsibility washes over me from time to time. I hope it does for you too.
3. We get to Bear witness to the gifts of grace and mercy we received in our own learning endeavors as a student!! We get to pay it forward by being gracious and merciful as we encounter students. 
4. We get to Bear witness to the mysteries of God and faith with our willingness to say, “I don’t know.”  Our Wesleyan theology and practice makes space for the mysteries if God. I encourage us to avoid the hubris of believing we need to be able to answer every question posed to us. 
5. We get to Bear witness to the provision of God in our lives by transmitting a sense of gratitude for the students you encounter.  Know their stories and let them renew a sense of wonder in you.
6. We get to Bear joyful witness to the reality that B and C students are often more effective in ministry than straight A students.  Be blessed by watching God work in someone in ways we may not have thought possible.
7. Bear witness to the influence God has entrusted to you and NBC. Let me illustrate…

Friends, your work matters. Often the outcomes are unknown and unseen by us.  Our work becomes a deposit of faith in the Kingdom of God. I hope you will be encouraged to see your work as God sees it and how God values it as you bear witness to God’s great work in you and through you. Your students need your touch in their lives. 

Dr. Joe Watkins