Do you have an elevator speech to share your faith in God? That’s a question that the Council and other leaders at Prince of Peace have considered over the years. The premise is to develop a concise summary of what you believe in the time it takes to ride in an elevator. Short and sweet is the word of the day. Yet the word that we are communicating is Jesus, the Word of God. How well are we able to share this most important of messages?

Many years ago, I heard a story that suggested that a great theologian of the Church, Karl Barth, was asked to summarize his belief in a concise way. His response was “Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.” Such a simple response, but also simultaneously such a profound answer. The response speaks to the reality of the Christian faith which is simultaneously shallow enough to bathe a baby, yet deep enough to drown an elephant. This is the love that God provides in Jesus Christ that can move us to tears, empower us in praise and silence us in reverent awe.

On March 5th we begin the time of the church year that we call Lent. It is a time for us to review and practice the faith that holds us in God’s love. In baptism we know that we have already been placed in right relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Lent provides a special time to move deeper in our understanding of just how abundantly we have all been blessed through this gift. God is continuing to work on us and change us through divine love. We have the opportunity to continue learning about that love and sharing it with others. Please join me for this time of spiritual renewal and core content review during the purple time of the church year. Some lessons in God’s love can never be experienced enough!