Topics We Avoid: Religion

I was never one to talk much about religion. Religion was a private thing that happened on Sunday mornings between 10:30 and 11:30. We had a professional to talk about Jesus and being good and the forgiveness of sins when we weren’t so good. He was an older man who wore a funny robe. He was well educated, kind, and a little aloof. And he loved to talk. But for the rest of us—religion was personal and private.

One hundred and fifty miles to the southwest and a world away—people talked a little more about religion. But not much. We were all 18 to 22 year old kids trying to figure out what we believed and didn’t believe. Scholars tried to get us talking. I remember an astronomy professor telling us that some kind of god had to exist and a religion professor telling us there was no way a god existed. But us students—the atheists, the Jews, the Catholics, the Protestants, the Muslims, the agnostics, the ambivalent, and those who just didn’t really care—were mostly mindful that talks about religion were best kept as polite and infrequent.

And then one day a girl invited me to church. It was a different kind of talk. Not about who was right and who was wrong. Not about believing four things and going to heaven or at least staying out of hell. Not condescending, but compassionate. Not alienating, but authentic. She simply told me she loved to go to this church, she always got a lot out of it, and she invited me to join her. I took her up on the offer am beyond grateful that somebody talked to me about religion.

I remember when Benjamin was born. Telling others was as natural as it gets. I told others with excitement: my siblings, my co-workers at the church, the woman in the gift shop, and the stranger on the elevator. It was good news!

Jesus invites us to talk about religion. To share our faith. To invite others to experience the Gospel, the Good News, in natural, loving, authentic, and compassionate ways. 

Some of my favorite stories at The Water’s Edge are stories of how our people have invited their friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, and classmates to worship, serve, and grow with us. God is changing lives, new friendships are being formed, and people are being served because people are inviting: talking about religion in the best possible way. 

This summer, I want to encourage you to invite somebody to worship, serve, and grow with us. Think of a friend, family, co-worker, neighbor, or classmate who doesn’t have a church. Pray for them. Invite them to worship with us on a Sunday morning, join your small group, or even join us as we serve our community. The worst they can do is say, “No thanks.” And who knows, you may be part of somebody’s testimony! 

The best is yet to come… 

Craig