The Rev. Cal Lord For The Bulletin

A couple of weeks ago my friend, John, dropped by for a visit.He came bearing a gift.He said he immediately thought of me when he bought it.He told me he had it for a couple of years but it took him a while to make the delivery.

I almost cried when I opened the package.It was a beautiful Hallmark figurine depicting the Peanuts' character, Linus, holding his shepherd's crook. Written on the base is the phrase, "That's what Christmas is all about..." It was precious.

John and I worked together in the play, "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" several years ago. We met and hit it off right away. He's funny and very creative. He played Snoopy and I was Linus. It was so much fun to work with him.

Yet the two of us had another link. It was our common faith in Jesus Christ. John is a Roman Catholic. I am a Baptist pastor. We often had opportunities to talk about our faith when we were back stage. It helped form a bond that I cherish.

Most people know that Charles Schulz, Peanuts creator, was a devout Christian. Schulz added a new dimension to the funny pages by using the strips to subtly raise questions aboutthe nature of God,the Bible and even the power of prayer. By mixing the antics of Charlie Brown and the gang with questions of spirituality he made his readers laugh while inviting them to explore a depth of conversation that was unusual in the comics. It was his way of sharing his faith.

That's when it hit me: Why couldn't we do the same thing with the opportunities that God gives us?You've heard the quote from Francis of Assisi: "Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words." Schulz used his comics.

Like Linus, in the scene from the famous Christmas pageant, let's use our moment in the spotlight to tell the world what faith is all about. You never know whose life you will touch and the friends you will make.

P.S. Thank you, John.

God bless. See you in church.

The Rev. Cal Lord, of Norwich, is the pastor of Central Baptist Church of Westerly. Reach him at calstigers@gmail.com.

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SPIRITUALITY: Christians are urged to preach the Gospel at all times - Norwich Bulletin