The Gospel in Seven Words

Imagine a friend asks you what Christianity is all about, what answer would you give? Author Will Campbell tells the story of how one of his friends badgered him for a succinct definition of Christianity. His friend didn’t want a long, fancy explanation. He wasn’t looking for a laundry list of doctrines or creeds. “I’m not too bright,” his friend said. “Keep it simple. In ten words or less, tell me the Christian message.” In today’s reading, Peter says, “Always be prepared to give an answer to anyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” Be honest with yourself. Would you stumble around and say, “Well, it’s kind of complicated...” or “You know, I’m not really good at explaining things...” or “Uh, why don’t you come to my church and my pastor will tell you what I believe...” That’s hardly being prepared. Our goal this Lent is to prepare ourselves to confess the hope we have because of Holy Week! For these next six weeks, we’re going to consider how we might confess the gospel to friends, family, and neighbors outside the church; by Easter, the goal is for each of us to craft a personal confession of the gospel of Jesus Christ that we can give as the reason for our hope.