...faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. - Romans 10:17
Do you remember the first time you believed? Do you remember the first time you heard the Good News? Do you remember who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with you?
For many of us who have been Christians from the cradle, we cannot answer these questions. I can't recall a time in my life when I did not believe. Sure, there have been times when I may have had my faith shaken or shifted, or when the belief I had needed to change because God revealed something about God's self that I had not known before. But I have always believed.
This is not so for many around us. We are surrounded by people who have no faith, nor have they ever had any belief. It might be because their families might not have time for religious faith and worship, or that they have lost their faith because other things become priorities. Others may have lost their faith because they have been hurt by or even excluded by churches and faith communities.
Regardless of the reason why someone either has ignored the gospel or has never had the gospel shared with them, we are different. We know the story of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. We know his teachings and his challenges. We are witness through our faith to his passion, death, resurrection and ascension. And we are each part of the continuing mission to reconcile all people to one another and to God.
The challenge is in sharing our faith, our beliefs, our part of Jesus' story with others. We don't want to appear foolish or obsessive, nor do we want to be thought naive or ignorant. We don't want to shove our faith down others' throats or be perceived as a biblical savant. But if we don't share the story, we are not living into our baptismal covenant with God. We promise to share in Christ's mission, to make disciples of all nations, to tell the story of Christ's redemption and our liberation from the pangs of sin and death.
Evangelism starts with ourselves - we need to know why we believe and to affirm that belief in action and word. Our message of faith starts with ourselves. Once we have proclaimed what we believe to ourselves, then we can have the strength to share that story with others. The lamp cannot remain under a bushel; the salt cannot be kept aside until it has lost its flavor. And our city, our Kingdom of God, must be seen by all so that all may share in our salvation offered once for all in Jesus Christ.
In the lyrics of Mary Thompson, penned in celebration of faith:
Publish glad tidings, tidings of peace;
Tidings of Jesus, redemption and release.
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Shawn
Lent II 2012
Do you remember the first time you believed? Do you remember the first time you heard the Good News? Do you remember who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with you?
For many of us who have been Christians from the cradle, we cannot answer these questions. I can't recall a time in my life when I did not believe. Sure, there have been times when I may have had my faith shaken or shifted, or when the belief I had needed to change because God revealed something about God's self that I had not known before. But I have always believed.
This is not so for many around us. We are surrounded by people who have no faith, nor have they ever had any belief. It might be because their families might not have time for religious faith and worship, or that they have lost their faith because other things become priorities. Others may have lost their faith because they have been hurt by or even excluded by churches and faith communities.
Regardless of the reason why someone either has ignored the gospel or has never had the gospel shared with them, we are different. We know the story of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. We know his teachings and his challenges. We are witness through our faith to his passion, death, resurrection and ascension. And we are each part of the continuing mission to reconcile all people to one another and to God.
The challenge is in sharing our faith, our beliefs, our part of Jesus' story with others. We don't want to appear foolish or obsessive, nor do we want to be thought naive or ignorant. We don't want to shove our faith down others' throats or be perceived as a biblical savant. But if we don't share the story, we are not living into our baptismal covenant with God. We promise to share in Christ's mission, to make disciples of all nations, to tell the story of Christ's redemption and our liberation from the pangs of sin and death.
Evangelism starts with ourselves - we need to know why we believe and to affirm that belief in action and word. Our message of faith starts with ourselves. Once we have proclaimed what we believe to ourselves, then we can have the strength to share that story with others. The lamp cannot remain under a bushel; the salt cannot be kept aside until it has lost its flavor. And our city, our Kingdom of God, must be seen by all so that all may share in our salvation offered once for all in Jesus Christ.
In the lyrics of Mary Thompson, penned in celebration of faith:
Publish glad tidings, tidings of peace;
Tidings of Jesus, redemption and release.
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Shawn
Lent II 2012
