Hidden Tracks Part 8 “Starting with the Why?” THRIVE Service Livestream

Call it an elevator speech. Or a one-minute summary and explanation. For years, some employees were required to quickly sum up the purpose of the business and be able to convey it to a potential client. It’s an exercise in succinctness. The ability to condense a complex truth into simple and understandable terms. If you’ve ever tried it, you know how difficult it is.

In religious terms, there is evidence that some early Rabbis had a friendly competition to see who could convey the entirety of the Law and the Prophets while standing on one leg.

In the greatest elevator speech in history, Jesus summed it all up in three sentences, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

A few years ago, The Christian Century asked leading theologians to sum up the Christian faith in 7 words or less.

Here are a few responses:

• Martin E. Marty – “God, through Jesus Christ, welcomes you anyhow.”
• Beverly Roberts Gaventa – “In Christ, God’s yes defeats our no.”
• Lamin Sanneh quotes Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 5:19, – “God was in Christ, reconciling the world.”
• Bill McKibben chose the Golden Rule (Mark 12:31): “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
• Craig Barnes reduced it to just four words – “We live by grace.”

How would you sum it up? How would you describe what’s most important to you? How would you explain the Gospel to someone in a way they could understand and relate?

It begins with the most important question, “Why?”

Why bother? Why care? Why do we believe? Why do we do the things we do? Why do we come to church? Why do we pour our hearts into serving others? Why do we choose to be a part of the ongoing work of God?

Honestly, some people never stop to ask the Why questions.

Sadly, some people stopped asking the Why questions a long time ago.

This Sunday, we’ll start with the “Why?” Because that’s where it all starts.

Romans 8 is Paul’s answer to the question, “Why?”

So, what’s yours?