I was baptized in Christ as a very young child. While I attended church and read from The Bible
for all of my memory, I can remember becoming wary of inviting others to attend
church with me. I didn’t want to step on
someone’s toes or to seem to nag when it came to religious practices. My position was that it may further push
someone away from faith in God rather than bring them closer. Of course my perspective was also one of a
girl that had no ‘formal’ training in The Bible or in evangelism. How could I possibly be qualified to ‘preach’
to someone when I clearly didn’t have all my stuff together?
As I grew older, that hands off approach became almost a
rule that I would follow. As a matter of
fact, even now, as someone that has little hesitation about speaking in front
of a crowd or meeting someone new, I struggle with reaching out to others about
their faith life. For Christians this is
a message, a reminder if you will, to share The Good News. For those that do not yet know Christ or
perhaps have wandered away from God, this is a warm welcome. I’ll try not to sound like a condescending
holy roller here – When I say “know Christ” I don’t mean like you know Jane Doe
down the street. You know Jane drives a
Focus, has 3 children, works at a law office and was the only one that didn’t
send a thank you card for the holiday basket you gave to your neighbors last
year. But you really don’t know Jane. And I don’t mean you ”know Christ” like I did
either, going to church every Sunday maybe even attending a religious school
and hearing stories about Him. When I
say “know Christ” I’m talking about a personal relationship, more like
something you have with your spouse, parent or best friend.
I’d like to tell you I’m a totally certified to explain how
God works, what The Bible says and what it all means. But the truth is I’m not even sure what my
role is! What I do know and what I can
tell you is this: The Good News is that
God sent His son, Jesus Christ, to be a savior to the world – you and me and
everyone in it that is willing to accept His grace. That no matter what you’ve done, where you’ve
been or what you’ve believed – Jesus has covered it. That before time began, God knew all you
would ever do, all the places you’d ever go and even how you would feel inside
and still He said you were worth all of it and so He created you. From the texture of your hair to the size of
your shoes you were designed with not one detail unintentional. (Seriously, you’re
couture in the most amazing way – how cool is that?!) I suppose that is why we are so darned expensive. Our ransom was paid for by the blood of Jesus
Christ, that we would have life eternally.
This message is not to tell you how you are a sinner and how
you aren’t going to Heaven. It’s not to
tell you that not believing in Christ is bad and that if you don’t you are a
bad person. So leave all that nonsense
at the door. As I said before, this is a
warm welcome, an invitation to wonder.
Wonder if it’s real. Wonder if all these promises apply to you too. Wonder what it’s like to know Him. And,
if you’re willing, for just a couple of moments to say “okay, let’s say it IS
real, let’s say it DOES apply to me, let’s say I DO want to know Jesus – what happens
now?” It costs nothing to wonder, but I
believe it could be worth everything.
Now, I guess I didn’t really invite you to join me for
church on Sunday, although you are certainly welcome. Guess I’m still working on that. But I hope I’ve made an introduction to a
friend you’ll have forever.
