Do you know the answer?
Do you know the answer?
If you are the parent of an enquiring child you know what it is to be bombarded with questions. And if you are anything like me, you have often had to reply, “I’m sorry, I don’t know” (I have sometimes thought that swallowing an encyclopaedia would be a good preparation for parenthood!).
It would be pleasant, of course, to always know the answer. But isn’t it the case that even when we don’t both family life and personal life can flow on very smoothly indeed? It may be regrettable (and it is) that at fifty there are still so few trees and birds I can identify. But hardly calamitous.
What about the answer to this question, however: Is there anybody there? Since I’m writing as a Christian minister you’ve probably guessed that I’m asking about God. Is there a God? And if there is, what is he like? Is he loving? Is he angry with us? And if he is angry with us, can things be changed?
I could take you to the Bible and give you some crystal clear answers to these questions. But is the Bible true? And if it is, how do we know that it’s true? Or what about its great central character, Jesus? What are to make of him? Does it matter? And if it does matter, why? Are we really to believe that he alone can save us from our sins and that apart from him we are eternally lost? And if we are, how can we make sure that he will save us?
Out of a deep persuasion that these are questions to which people ought to know the answer our church has decided to hold a special series of informal Sunday School classes to address them directly. We’re calling it Exploring Christianity. It starts on December 4th and will continue on into February. At each class we will be examining one big question, beginning with the first one mentioned above – Is there anybody there? And it won’t just be a matter of you listening to a speaker. There will be plenty of opportunity to ask questions yourself and we will be encouraging you to ask them.
I said earlier that it is hardly calamitous to not be able to identify trees and birds. Of all kinds of other pieces of knowledge the same is true. By contrast, ignorance of God and of how we can be right with him is calamitous. Why not join us for the classes then and explore Christianity with us? You will be most welcome!
Details about Exploring Christianity can be had from our website (www.GraceBaptistCarlisle.org) or by phoning the church office on (717) 249-4912.
David Campbell
Grace Baptist Church
777 W North Street
Carlisle, PA 17013