Do you remember the strangest question you have ever been asked ?
Mine came from a former student, who was very bright and inquisitive.
One day she approached me after class and asked : ‘Why do you wear the letter ‘t’ around your neck ?’
I explained that this was not a letter of the alphabet, but instead, it was a cross, a symbol of Christianity, and I told her that I was a Christian.
I often wonder whether she further further investigated the Christian faith.
In a part of Canada, called Quebec, it is now against the law for employees of publicly- funded institutions to wear symbols of their religious faith while at work. The law came into effect in 2019.
We are living in a post-Christian era ; Canada has officially been a secular country since 1967.
What this means for us is that we cannot assume that most people know what Christianity, and the good news of salvation is about.
My husband has a colleague of another religious faith, who, since he noticed eight different church buildings in our village, asked us, shyly, which one is the Christian church.
This should not discourage us. However, it is a ‘wake up’ call, telling us that we need to work together, as followers of Christ. We know that our Lord wants us to work in harmony, as believers who share a common faith.
People who do not (yet) know the Lord are watching us more carefully than we might realize.
They notice what we say, and what we don’t say , and how we present ourselves in public. They observe how we treat others who hold different values than we do, and they watch our facial expressions when we think that no-one is watching us. ( before mask wearing).
They have observed whether we have remained consistently peaceful and patient during the pandemic, knowing that God is in control.
In the coming days, all of us are going to have additional opportunities to serve the Lord , according to our different giftings.
May God give us the grace never to become discouraged.
He has chosen us, and has uniquely prepared us to further the Kingdom of God at this point in history.
May we not disappoint Him.
