Telling the Story

Wednesday, December 17, 2014                                                             Mark 1: 1-8

Katie Morris

See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ (Mark 1: 2-3)

In this passage from Mark, John the Baptist is telling everyone he meets the amazing story of Jesus. How are we called to tell this story during this season of Advent?

As part of the Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program, we are encouraged to share our experiences through stories. We keep blogs to update our friends and family, and with each person we meet we have an opportunity to tell about our experience and what we’re doing. Usually I’m excited to talk about the YAV program – I give the whole spiel about doing a service year in Nashville with the Presbyterian church, and I’m excited to know that one more person has some idea of what a YAV is. There are days, however, when I feel like the random man in the coffee shop or the woman at the store would probably never understand the program, so why should I bother trying to explain it to them? In those moments, I have to remind myself what the program is actually about – we have accepted a call to serve in God’s communities all over the U.S. and the world and to show God’s love in those communities. If I can’t explain the truth of what I’m doing in this year, when would I ever have such an amazing opportunity to share my faith in this way again?

Sharing the message of Christmas in our daily lives seems like it should be easy. Almost everyone we encounter knows the Christmas story, even if they aren’t Christian, so just a small mention of ‘Jesus’ or ‘The Shepherds’ during this time of year should be enough to respond to the call of John the Baptist, right?

I think God is calling us to share in a different way – a way that deepens our own faith and the faith of those with whom we share. This is no simple task (I still have a hard time explaining the YAV program), but I think God calls us to this kind of meaningful and truthful sharing of his incredible love.

Prayer:  Loving God, prepare our hearts not only for the celebration to come, but also for sharing that Good News with friends, family and colleagues should opportunities arise. Grant us courage and a real willingness to talk about the love that came down to earth and walked among us. Amen

Daily Challenge: Find a new way to share the excitement of Advent and the story of Christmas with someone, and have a meaningful conversation with them.