Welcome to Christ Episcopal Church

Sometimes the simplest questions are the hardest ones to answer. I learned that lesson over and over again when my kids were really young – around ages 3 to 5. Because they didn’t know much about anything, they asked about everything. They were so curious. But when faced with questions like “why doesn’t the sky fall down?” or “why is the sea salty?” their relatively bright dad had no good answers besides “I don’t know” or “Just because”. Maybe you can relate.

These kinds of questions are hard to answer because they’re often so “basic”, we don’t really think much about whatever’s at the heart of the question. We just sort of accept its existence as part of our reality. We know that they sky won’t fall down, because it never has. We know that sea water is salty, because that’s part of what makes sea water sea water. But you don’t need to be an expert in logic to know that those are terrible answers.

Questions like these questions generally DO have an answer, but we have to have done the work ahead of time to be ready with our response.

As Christians, the simple question that seems hardest to answer is “what is the Good News?” Take a moment or two and think about it. Can you come up with a clear, concise answer that might be relevant or persuasive to someone who wants to talk about Jesus or know more about him? Do you have an “elevator speech” that can answer the question in 60 seconds or less? Try it for a bit. It might be harder than you think.

Having this at our fingertips is important for a variety of reasons. Being clear with ourselves about what the Good News is helps us be clear about why our faith matters. But it’s also important because it helps us share that faith with others. According to an article that came across my desk this spring by the Barna Group – a Christian research organization – 66% of U.S. adults say that they have made a personal commitment to Jesus that is still important in their lives today. That’s a 12 percentage point increase since 2021!

Among the biggest drivers of this resurgence are younger generations – particularly Gen Z and Millennials. But the reality is that many of them want to engage with their faith in ways that go beyond weekly worship: through conversation and study where they explore their wonderings, and through putting their faith into action.

When we can clearly articulate what the Good News is, we’re in prime position to engage with future generations of Christians. So give it a try. Be ready with your response to that simply question. Your wondering might just give the Spirit an opening to work in, with, and through you.

In Christ, Pastor Aaron Twait