Spread the good news of the kingdom of God

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Rev. Shirley Porter’s sermon this past Sunday got me thinking. The Gospel (Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20) was regarding Jesus sending out the seventy to spread the peace and good news of the kingdom of God. They were not to carry any purse or bag. I don’t know about you, but I am a serial over-packer and am lost without my purse. If I was one of the seventy, I would definitely be feeling a little uneasy and unprepared. Perhaps that was the point. Jesus wanted his followers to focus on the task at hand and not all the other things we worry about when we travel.

I am also not always the best at sharing my faith with others. It’s not that I’m ashamed of being a Christian. I just want to be respectful and not offend people of other faiths. But Rev. Porter had a good point about that. We honor and welcome those of other religions, letting them openly speak about their faith. When is it our turn as Christians? Why do we feel like we need to be timid about our love of Jesus? I think we should challenge ourselves to be more open about our faith. As Rev. Porter said, it’s not about converting people to Christianity but about forming meaningful relationships.

Brittney Kish Lightsey

Junior Warden