I guess I’m getting old. You read something and an image or song comes to mind that’s dated. That dates you. I hear John the Baptist’s story and I think of Perry Mason. Only the old folks will get that, the rest of you, well, thank God for Google. I see him standing there in court, examining the witness. I see him artfully circumvent and dodge all the half-truths of the witness. Incidentally, this is all happening on my 13 inch portable black and white television! Perry Mason was an incredible maker of questions. Questions that probed and prodded until finally, just in time for the show to finish, the witness exhausted and with no more defenses, confesses the truth. In that moment you see both the weight and the freedom of the truth. How did John get to his testimony? Who helped him to stop making excuses and land with concision and clarity on the truth? Can’t you just hear Perry Mason saying to John, “is that your testimony, sir?” And can’t you hear John say back, “that is my testimony. I came to testify to the light and to baptize with water.” In the Episcopal Church, we pride ourselves on being the church where questions are welcome. I’m proud of that. But, the function of questions isn’t simply more information, it’s to gain clarity. And clarity about Jesus and our role in His friend making campaign changes our lives and thereby changes the world. What is your testimony? How did you get to that clarity?
For People with Bishop Rob Wright
The new podcast expands on Bishop’s For Faith devotional, drawing inspiration from the life of Jesus to answer 21st-century questions.