We had some friends over for dinner last night. It was a beautiful Fall evening to spend eating and drinking in the backyard garden and Gazebo by candlelight. Our conversation moved to sharing our “stories” – meaning our personal journey’s that had brought us to where we are today. There is an old word for this used when I was a kid growing up in the midwest Christian subculture. We called it sharing our “testimony.”
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testimony [ˈtestəˌmōnē]–> noun ( pl. -nies)
a formal written or spoken statement, esp. one given in a court of law.
• evidence or proof provided by the existence or appearance of something : his blackened finger was testimony to the fact that he had played in pain.
• a public recounting of a religious conversion or experience.
• archaic a solemn protest or declaration.
ORIGIN Middle English : from Latin testimonium, from testis ‘a witness.’—————
We were using this word in the highlighted meaning above, not in the legal courtroom sense.What happened last night was in fact exactly a “testimony” as we shared how God had worked in each of our lives to bring us to a realization of our own desperate need of him, and how we turned from going our own way, to going his way… and what that decision had done for each of us. This activity is exactly what postmoderns desire and call “relevance.” This is the practical down to earth everyday stuff that either makes God real and present in daily experience, or it doesn’t… relevant or irrelevant.
I was struck by the personal choices made in each case and by the overwhelming fact of God’s response of grace, as defined in meaning #2 below.
——————grace [grās]
noun
1 simple elegance or refinement of movement : she moved through the water with effortless grace.
• courteous goodwill : at least he has the grace to admit his debt to her.
• (graces) an attractively polite manner of behaving : she has all the social graces.
2 (in Christian belief) the free and unmerited favor of God, as manifested in the salvation of sinners and the bestowal of blessings.
• a divinely given talent or blessing : the graces of the Holy Spirit.
• the condition or fact of being favored by someone : he fell from grace because of drug use at the Olympics.
3 (also grace period) a period officially allowed for payment of a sum due or for compliance with a law or condition, esp. an extended period granted as a special favor : another three days’ grace.
4 a short prayer of thanks said before or after a meal : before dinner the Reverend Newman said grace.
5 ( His, Her, or Your Grace) used as forms of description or address for a duke, duchess, or archbishop : His Grace, the Duke of Atholl.——————-
I am forced to conclude that God is real and relevant in the lives of many people. All one has to do is ask around. Sooner or later you will find someone willing to share their “testimony” as we experienced last night.
