CatholicMom.com’s “Lawn Chair Catechism” gets into The Great Story of Jesus this week. How well do we know the story of Jesus? How well do we share it? And how well do we emulate the story of Jesus when we do share it?
In her book Forming Intentional Disciples, Sherry Weddell breaks Jesus’ story into several acts. The first act is the Proclamation of the Kingdom. Consider that word: proclamation. The first act isn’t the “telling” of the kingdom or the “sharing” of the kingdom. It isn’t the “talking about it when its not too embarassing” of the kingdom. It’s proclamation — pro-clamation from the Latin words for “forward” and “shout”. This is what Jesus did, and this is what He’s calling us to do. We are to not just talk about the kingdom or share about it, we’re to shout it.
Where do we shout it? Forward. We don’t shout it behind our closed doors or to our close Catholic friends. We should it forward — out into the world, where it needs to be heard.
Is the world going to like that? Well, what is Weddell’s second act? It’s Jesus Embraces the Cross. Likewise, we are called to embrace ours when we shout forward. That shouting will not make us popular. It may not even seem to work much of the time.
So why do it? Because of her third act: Resurrection, Ascension, New Life, Adoption, and the Kingdom. Look at that last word: Kingdom. We get what we were proclaiming! That is surely part of the message. God really does give you what you want. If you go around shouting to the world how much you don’t need God, He will give you your wish. If you shout about the kingdom, you get the kingdom.
In her discussion questions for this week, Sherry asks us “are you practiced in sharing the Gospel story?” I bet most of us aren’t. I’m practiced at reading it, at teaching it, at writing it. But sharing it? Noooo no no.. Sharing is that bad thing where people talk back and don’t like what you’re saying. I don’t like that part! We need to practice. Perhaps we need a Toastmasters for evangelization – the safe environment to practice our pitch, to get comfortable talking about the person most important to us. But we need to practice, however we do it. Practice in the mirror. Practice to fellow Catholics. Or learn the most effective – and most painful – way: practice by doing it. Share the Gospel with others and do it badly, then learn from your mistakes.
She asks, also, “have you ever heard it told especially well?” There are many excellent resources, if you haven’t found your favorite yet. Consider Jeff Cavin’s Great Adventure series, or, for a more modest investment, Dr. Bergsma’s Bible Basics for Catholics. Dr. Peter Kreeft has an excellent single-volume introduction to Scripture: You Can Understand the Bible, and Dr. Scott Hahn has… shall we say, several volumes? Of particular relevance are Understanding the Scriptures and A Father Who Keeps His Promises. Find one that you like and learn the story! (And why not get it from one of the bookstores that support CatholicMom.com?) Once you know it, shout it out. Shout it forward. “Do tell”, as Sherry Weddell puts it in this week’s chapter title. Make sure you’re telling it right and telling it well, and then trust the Holy Spirit to take care of the rest.
Joe Wetterling
Joe Wetterling is a catechist, blogger, and an adult educator with over fifteen years of experience. His interests include philosophy, adult learning, instructional technology, and stoytelling/teaching by analogy. Joe lives in Moorestown, NJ with his wife and son. You can find him online at joewetterling.com and at his two blogs: Ho Kai Paulos (hokaipaulos.com) and The Baptized Imagination (baptizedimagnation.com).
Well said, Joe.