“We will recount to generations to come the praiseworthy deeds and the power of the Lord, and the wonderful works he has done.”

Psalm 78 leads us down the path of Israel’s history of disobedience and return. An ongoing relationship that seems to go back and forth, God’s chosen people often sin and then return to ask for forgiveness and restoration. Yet the words of today’s psalm strike me in another way. They remind me of our baptismal covenant, especially the line, “Will you spread by word and example the good news of Jesus Christ?”

Our church faces decline. Not Resurrection, the entire Christian church across the world. As for us, we have one of the best kept secrets held in the form of our liturgy. The way we worship matters; the way we talk about that worship with others is almost nonexistent. I personally groan when someone jokes about how Episcopalians are terrible at evangelism. I don’t find it funny, nor do I see the value in smirking or laughing about our failures concerning actively speaking about God to others.

Think of it this way.

Parents can’t seem to get enough of talking about their children. If someone has a child, you know it within the first ten minutes of meeting them. You know their activities, you see pictures, you are told about their grades. And these are strangers. With people you know? Rarely does a conversation happen involving anything other than their children. Usually, it’s just a group of adults listening to each other and taking turns. The point? It should be this way. Parents should love and laud their children loudly. Proudly. And they do. They do this out of a deep love, a pride in their offspring, in the most important beings in their lives.

There are many different iterations of this. Parents, grandparents, teachers, etc…

What about God?

If we say that God is the most important being in our lives, why are we so afraid to talk about Him? Literally no one has apologized to me for chattering incessantly about children. If I ever was offended, they’d light me up. And I’d deserve it. But talk about God? “Oh, I don’t want to offend anyone…live and let live and all that.” I don’t understand it. We want to share about the love we hold for those most important to us, yet we fail in epic fashion when it comes to even mentioning Jesus.

Then we wonder why the church is declining.

We have to tell the stories God gave us. We must share the wonders of God with younger generations. It’s not something we should do, it’s something we’re called to do. “I’m just not comfortable”, can no longer be our mantra. Our excuse. The psalms cry out for us to answer, to speak, to love out loud. Starting with our immediate families and moving outward to friends and strangers. If you love God, your church, your community? It’s a no brainer. Why would we hide that for ourselves? It’s selfish—and grace is abundant and free.

I hope we can all step into the world today and proclaim the good news of Christ in small and big ways. Otherwise, calling ourselves faithful seems hollow…it seems wrong. You may not think your words will matter. They will. One kind word to someone coupled with the name of Jesus could change one life. If we each do that?

It could change the world.

Faithfully,

Fr. Sean+