We used to joke that The Goose was a tiny evangelist because she liked (and still does on occasion) to burst into choruses of “Jesus Loves Me” (which is always followed by “Deep & Wide”) when riding in the cart through the aisles of Target. And to make it even better, she would pause mid-song to correct me for my silence: “Sing it with me Mommy!” Well what can you say to that? “No honey, that might make people look at us funny.”? Or “You sing it, Mommy’s too big to sing in Target”? Clearly not! So… here we go… singing down the aisles, getting a few looks, mostly nice, and one very vocal “AMEN!”
You see, she already knows how to be an Evangelical… probably better than most adults I know. So when do we lose our ability to share our faith? Or, maybe it’s not lost, but when did we gain this major evangelical-inhibition? And when did “Evangelical” become such a “bad” word? It seems now if you profess to be an Evangelical, people get nervous. I feel the nagging need to correct people who refer to someone as an “Evangelical Christian,” for all Christians are by nature (IF we are doing our job right) Evangelical. So isn’t the “term” or “label” a bit redundant? Or maybe we need to be redundant. Maybe all Christians need to refer to themselves and other believers as “Evangelical Christians” so that we remember that key part of what it means to BE a Christian.
“Share the Gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words”… (a famous quote from St. Francis of Assisi)… to which I add, “or songs from a shopping cart, whatever works for you.”
Pretty funny, how we think we have to work so hard to teach our children how to love God, when they are really pretty good at showing us how to love Him even better… Sing it loud, Sing it proud!
“How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? […] How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” ~Romans 10: 14-15
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