While watching one of our favorite crime solving TV shows, one of the opening scenes portrayed the fictional detective in a supermarket, leaning on a shopping cart while waiting for his wife to complete her purchases. Quickly, a young 20 something girl ran up to him sporting a white t-shirt with the words, “Shopping with Jesus” on it. She took the startled detective by the hand, bowed her head and prayed for him to have a successful shopping experience.
One of the store’s employees explained that this was the Rev. Suze, a local vicar who regularly spent two hours in the supermarket “helping” shoppers with the frustration of finding what they want amidst the hustle and bustle of jostling humanity.
Rev. Suze was a significant player in the drama, set in a fictional English county that was quite pastoral, dotted with quaint villages and sometimes weird characters. Several scenes pictured the good Reverend running around with a t-shirt emblazoned with the words, “Jogging with Jesus”. For a short time, she was even considered one of the prime suspects in a series of grisly murders set in the picturesque countryside. But she, although seen to be somewhat less than pure as one of her regular jogs took her to a romantic tryst with one of the local married merchants (after all, she claimed “the flesh is weak”), did help to provide a clue to the actual killer.
This got me to thinking about a Christian’s witness in our modern world. Although it is an intriguing idea to have the faithful lurking in the aisles of the local Wal-Mart to help those who are frazzled cope with modern shopping, that kind of witness would probably be rejected by the vast majority of store patrons and might even cause the enthusiastic spiritual helper to be committed to an asylum. What is the best kind of witness in a modern world that is filled with the kind of frenetic activity that causes even the most even-tempered people to despair?
What should be avoided is an ostentatious display of religious accoutrements. Many years ago I met a man who wore a huge cross around his neck, one which could be seen in the next county. Although a very nice guy, it seemed a little over the top. So — probably it would not be a good idea to try to witness with a sandwich sign for Jesus, nor carry a pulpit-sized Bible around.
But in the real world, many opportunities can be seen which help show those with whom we come in contact that we are living for Jesus. In the marketplace, be polite and deferential. Control the impulse to be irritated with clerks or other shoppers, going out of our way to show our genuine love of mankind. Several years ago, while traveling in Paris, Jane and I were shown why Europeans considered Japanese tourists to have supplanted Americans as the “ugly foreigner”. More than once, we were rudely pushed aside by Japanese tourists while looking at merchandise, with nary an “excuse me” or “pardon me”. All we did, of course, was to talk about these pushy people, and resent their display of rudeness.
Included would be honesty. If we are undercharged, we make sure we pay the full price, giving back the change we did not deserve. Too many people will simply take the “windfall”, even if it meant the mistaken clerk might have to make up the difference in the till. Honesty still is a good witness to our faith.
When it comes to our jobs, our professions, Christian witness can take several paths. We are the most faithful of workers, making sure we show up on time and leave on time. In fact, we go the “extra mile” in our work, doing more than simply putting in time. We are pleasant with the public, wearing a smile and having a pleasing demeanor. We are respectful of authority (the boss!), not causing any trouble in our place of work. If we are the boss or owner, we treat our employees with respect, paying them a living wage and are considerate of their needs outside the workplace. We do not expect them to do more than what we have contracted with them to do, but recognize when our workers go above and beyond the “call of duty”.
Sometimes the hardest place to be consistent in our Christian witness is when we are with family. Because we know our kin best, we tend to treat them worst, knowing it is hard for relatives to simply lop us off of the family tree. Living with others means we will irritate them (and they us) from time to time. It is imperative we treat those we love with the utmost respect, and work at keeping harmony and peace within the home. Also, when visiting extended family, remember the old adage, “fish and company begin to smell after three days”! Fractured families do not sell Christianity to the unsaved.
Sitting on a bar stool on a regular basis also is not good for our Christian witness. We are to avoid even “the appearance of evil”, according to the apostle Paul. Although we cannot avoid some of the worst of our society at times, we should make sure our most constant companions share our values. Good company makes for good manners.
Perhaps one of the most important aspects of Christian witness comes out of our mouths. We should be very careful to watch our language, for vulgarity and profanity will negate our profession of fidelity to God. In addition to that, avoid using our words to inflame passions or cause dissension. James called the tongue “a world of iniquity, a fire: See how great a forest a little fire kindles! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity”, causing much trouble. In other words, watch your mouth!
Several years ago, many Christians were fond of using the acronym WWJD — What Would Jesus Do? That is a good prescription for Christian witness. But, in Bible College many years ago, one professor said it this way. Since we “put on Christ” when we become Christian, we should be “little Christs”. Acting like Him would solve our problem about witnessing to our world, but it would be interesting to wear a t-shirt in Wal-Mart that read, “Shopping with Jesus!”