Having recently observed the season of renewal during Holy Week – Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Resurrection Sunday – I would imagine (and hope) each of us came away enriched in our spiritual life. We were reminded of the adulation that was heaped on Jesus as he rode the donkey through the cheering crowd, the humility that he showed in the washing of the feet of his disciples as they communed at the Last Supper, the agonizing pain that Jesus suffered at the hands of his aggressors, and finally, the victorious rising of our Savior as he promised the hope of Eternal Life. What a range of emotions in the course of one week!

We who attended the Holy Week services, and those of us who have learned about the Gospel of Jesus through the years in Sunday School classes and worship services as children and young adults have a general knowledge of Jesus’ experiences while he was on earth. But what about those who’ve never heard the Gospel? Have we been and are we now bold enough in our daily lives to share the Gospel of Jesus to others? 

In 1 Corinthians 1:18 Paul tells us: “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” In other words, if a child is to repent and believe in Christ, then it will be through the proclamation of the message of the cross. 

So, it seems to me that all of us need to follow the mantra of the youth of our church in BEING INTENTIONAL in growing our Christian faith and sharing that faith with others! I am reminded of an incident years ago when I was led by a group of young people to share the Gospel, but was hesitant to do so:

It was the Spring of the year, the week before Easter, and I was teaching a class of Freshman English when a student, with a puzzled look on her face, asked: “Mrs. Dunham, is there anything more to Easter than the Easter Bunny hiding eggs?” Shocked at this question, I looked out over the class and witnessed several of my male students, who I knew attended Sunday School and church, turning their heads in unison to look at the questioning student in disbelief!

I immediately began concocting the lame excuse that I was not able to answer her question because of church vs. state issues that might cause me to lose my job, when one of those boys rose from his seat, walked to the open door that led to the hallway and the principal’s office. He closed the door, saying, “I’ll guard the door, Mrs. Dunham!” Humbled by that freshman boy who was BEING INTENTIONAL in standing by the closed door so his classmate could hear The Story, I veered from my lesson plan for the day and proceeded to tell the Story of Jesus in that public school classroom on that Spring day.

The boldness of that freshman boy was impressive, but my hesitancy to share the Story of Jesus because of the fear of a legal issue was not! The recent challenge of our FCC Youth to BE INTENTIONAL in sharing our faith is taken! Incidentally … I didn’t lose my job!

In Christian Love,
Charlotte Dunham, Elder