I attended an Episcopal Revival last weekend. WHAT?! Liturgical churches don’t do revivals! Can you say, “oxymoron?”
But not really, if you think about it.
We are a resurrection people. Raised from the dead. Brought to life again. Restored. Filled with hope. Revived! Makes sense to me, which is why for years, I’ve tried to help make evangelism a priority and to help debunk negative connotations of the word “evangelism”. So a Revival didn’t seem terribly far-fetched to me. And when I told my non-Episcopal friends that I was going to a revival, it didn’t faze them. They were kinda like, “Yeah, doesn’t everyone go to revivals?” But still, I am a cradle Episcopalian, so I didn’t really know what to expect. WOW! It was powerful!
I think it was most powerful for reviving a sense of hope. It’s so easy to get caught up in and feel bogged down by the negativity and animosity in America, and the news, and social media. Presiding Bishop Curry’s message was a beautiful reminder that none of that is real – that “there is a balm in Gilead to heal the sin-sick soul” – that love is real, and if we can all do our own parts to offer that love to others – completely – then that is the most powerful form of evangelism out there. It is healing and life-giving.
Someone I know has often said that he had a hard time with Christianity until he was introduced to the unbounded love and acceptance of the Episcopal Church. That is evangelism in action. We are called to Fearless Faith and Boundless Love!
To learn more about the 2018 Revival in the Diocese of Georgia, visit www.episcopalchurch.org/georgia-revival.