“As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.” – 2 Timothy 4:5
With autumn come a number of predictable things—beautiful leaves, the sudden urge to make soup, and pumpkin spice everything. In the life of the Church in this time of the year, we have some lovely celebrations and observances as well. When I was in seminary, attending chapel three times a day, we had a chance to live into these occasions with great solemnity, as a community. Even though I’m not now in a place to mark all of these holy days with special masses, I continue to look forward to the rhythm of late October worship.
On October 18, we celebrate the feast of St. Luke the Evanglist. On October 23 (which falls on a Sunday this year, so the feast is transferred to the 24th), we remember James of Jerusalem, the brother of our Lord and a prominent leader in the early church. And on October 28, we commemorate Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles. And then a few days later, some of us with more Protestant leanings will at least unofficially recall the Reformation on October 31, followed by the feast of All Saints on November 1 and All Souls on November 2. What a full calendar!
What do all these observances have in common? I see a common thread in courageous witness to the faith. For some, that courage looked like following a Saviour who taught that faith required letting go of our worldly goods and even our own life, if necessary. For others, it looked like sharing the Good News in written form, whether through the original manuscripts of the Gospel or through their translation into the vernacular. And for others, it looks like living a life of faith in our own age, when skepticism and anti-religious sentiment are high and it is increasingly difficult to declare our faith in the public sector. In other words, all these people—from the saints we observe on our calendar right down to “all the faithful departed” who did their best in this life to remain true to the teachings of Christ—all of us are evangelists.
As we enter this season, let’s reflect on where we find ourselves on that spectrum. How have we been called to witness God’s goodness in our own lives? Who are our role models? What have been the challenges we’ve experienced as we seek to proclaim God’s love more faithfully in our community? Evangelism need not look like holding up campaign signs on a street corner. It can be as simple as listening to someone’s joys or heartaches and naming the work of the Spirit that we hear in their story, or letting them know, with sincerity, that we are holding them in prayer.
As we enter the home stretch of the church year, may we hold fast to all that we have received from the many teachers and exemplars who have gone before us. And may we, too, do the work of an evangelist, and carry out our ministry fully.
Mother Terry+