"When We Share Our Stories of Faith..." - By Bishop G

Dear Friends,

            St. Paul’s second letter to his protege, Timothy, is inspiring.  In it, Paul testifies to his young protege that we should not be ashamed of talking about God’s actions in our lives.  Instead, we should join in suffering with our fellow disciples.  Paul reminds Timothy that he inherited his faith from “his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.”  Paul tells Timothy, “I am sure (the faith) lives in you.”  (2 Timothy 1:5). And Paul tells Timothy to expect this faith to give him a “spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline”.  Paul tells him to follow Jesus and share his story with everyone…and “not be ashamed”.

            Who first introduced you to Jesus?  I was introduced to Jesus by a great-aunt who took me to church on an Easter Sunday.  I was only five years old and went with her for only one Sunday, but I met Jesus in a picture of him holding little children in his lap.  The picture was hanging in a church hallway, and in that one exposure, my great-aunt passed on her faith to me.  I think of her often and marvel at how much that one trip did for my life with God. She had no idea how that faith “stuck” and grew over many years.  It’s a great reminder that we should not discount even one visit where the Holy Spirit is working. 

            Recently, I began reading a new book written by the Reverend Russ Levenson, called Witness to Belief. The book is a collection of interviews Russ had with twelve well-known and very talented people about their lives as Christian.  People you might recognize, like Denzel Washington, Dr. Jane Goodall, Amy Grant, and others, explore how living the faith of their Christian ancestors has shaped their lives as scientists, actors, musicians, journalists, and politicians in extraordinary ways.  Together, these witnesses share with us how they encountered Jesus.  Then they go on to reveal the difference that faith has made in their lives and work.  At the heart of their conversations, they conclude, like Paul and Timothy, we’re all following Jesus because Jesus has first invited us to follow. 

            The book is a treasure of insight, wisdom, and hope, reminding me that we all testify every day to the hope that is in us, given to us by the grace and the faith of Jesus Christ.   When we share our stories of faith with one another, the good news is set loose into the world, and many things become possible.   Jesus told us we would be his “witnesses…to the ends of the earth”, which, as we live and follow each day, we faithfully aspire to be.   Thanks be to God.

I hope I see you at church soon!               

Blessings, +G