“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” – 1 Peter 2: 9

Dear Friends in Christ,

            The echoes of Easter still ring in our ears, “Christ is risen!  He is risen, indeed!”  This refrain, this proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection is not just for Easter, not just for those of us inside the four walls of the church; it is the Good News that through Christ, God has chosen us to tell the world!

            Perhaps you remember the dread while sitting in school, trying to hide behind the person in front of you as the teacher scanned the room for someone to pick to come up front to answer a problem on the board?  Not many want to get up in front of the class alone, especially when you aren’t sure of the answer.

            The problem that is on the board in front of us all is one simple word: Sin.  Its manifestations are as many and varied as there are people and situations in the world.  By ourselves we could not and cannot come up with an answer or a solution.  On our own, as hard as we would try, we could not and cannot fix it or explain it away.

            So God gives us the answer, the solution, the fix, and explanation: Jesus Christ the crucified and risen one!  And God picks you to share the answer!

            But God does not just choose one to proclaim the answer, through Christ God chose everyone who hears and believes in the Good News, “in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.”  Together we proclaim and share the Good News of Easter with the people of the world, perhaps starting with our own family, friends, and neighbors.

            We can all begin with the answer that is in the Book.  The Mighty Acts of God are written down for us to learn and to share with others.  There is also our own story of faith, our personal experiences of the mighty acts of God.  We each have our own, still unfolding, story of coming out of darkness into the light of Christ, which is part of the larger story of God’s love for the world. 

            Let us join together to share the Good News with those who have not heard or do not yet believe and trust that Jesus is the answer!