A Profound Witness

A genuine witness to the transforming power of Christ can come in a variety of ways. Now and then, a witness is offered that is truly profound. It stands alone. It is clearly a God thing. I heard such a witness recently. It was during the evening news. As I heard it, tears filled my eyes and I choked up.

It was the Amish response to the tragic murder of their children while they innocently attended school. One man said quietly, "We have to forgive, or else Jesus will not forgive us." What an echo of someone who takes seriously the words of The Lord's Prayer - "Forgive us our debts AS WE FORGIVE (caps mine) our debtors."

That would have been enough. Then a day or so later that humble Amish community, where that tradegy unfolded, set up a fund to help the children of the murderer. They went to the murderer's home to visit his wife and children.

Jesus said "Go into all the world and preach the gospel." That can be done in creative ways. We have computer technology at our disposal, Power Point, pod casting and the like. But rarely have I heard the gospel preached as powerfully as it was from a community that declines all those advances. Nothing is more effective than living the good news, in quietness and confidence.