'The Man in Black' : Making Your Mess Your Message
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I would like to give a hat tip to our Christian brother Cody Carnes, the writer of the song, Nothing Else. I would also like to give a hat tip and a nod to our Christian sister, singer Kim Walker Smith who offers this song as a sincere act of praise and worship given to God and then at the end she proclaims the Gospel message in the form of a kerygma (see video below).
'Kerygma' s a Greek word that means ‘proclamation’. We are called to proclaim the Good News or the Gospel Message as a way to introduce those who don’t know Jesus to the person of Christ in a personal, relational way.
In a 2021 message to the USCCB, Archbishop Christophe Pierre gave a definition of the word kerygma. He said, “The kerygma — the proclamation of the Good News — is not a ‘traditional’ custom or a certain ‘social practice.’ The kerygma is the joyful announcement that Jesus Christ is a living Person to be encountered, who through his Resurrection has defeated sin and death.”
Written out below and beginning at minute 8.30 in the video, Kim Walker Smith's spontaneous, God-breathed announcement or proclamation of the Good News is given in the form of a colloquial kerygma. In it she takes us through an eight step process of evangelization...
1. Explain that we have a built in innate desire for God and that without Him we are left unsatisfied.
2. Acknowledge the effects of sin, pain, brokenness and our need for God as healer.
3. Give thanks to God for his guidance, goodness and his gifts.
4. Express a willingness to trust in God.
5. Invite Jesus and his Breath (the Holy Spirit) to come and remove any obstacles or distractions that would stand in the way of his presence.
6. Provide the words of a prayer. Demonstrate a way for others to open their hearts and invite Jesus to come.
7. Announce the Good News of the Paschal Mystery, the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus which is the source of our salvation.
8. Elicit a faith-filled response by surrendering to God, asking for forgiveness and a new life of faith and service
1. “I just want you. Nothing else will do. Lord, today just remind us that you are the one who satisfies every place in our heart every need every longing that you are the one who satisfies above everything else.
2. Money will not fix our problems. Medications will not fix our problems. You are the one who comes and fixes what's broken. You, you heal the hurt. You heal the pain. You mend what's broken.
3. And God I thank you for the journey whether it's a short journey or a long journey, whatever it looks like in the process. God, we are surrendered to that process. We are surrendered to that journey. Our hearts are saying yes. We will keep our hearts soft and vulnerable to you Jesus. In whatever the process looks like, whatever length of time.
4. God we trust you above everything else. We trust you above every other voice. We trust you above everything that we read. We trust you above everything else God. There is no greater voice. There is no greater name. There is nothing that is higher or greater than the name of Jesus. The name that stands above every other name and above everything else. And God today we just want to remember that you are enough, that you satisfy and that there is nothing else that will do. There is nothing else that will fill us like you do.
5. So Jesus, would you just come? Wherever we are today, would you just come and just move in the room? Would you come and breathe life on hearts right now as we just take a deep breath in and remember and recognize that you are there? You are here, right here in this moment with us. And God would you push out and drive out every other distraction, everything trying to come in between us. And would you just slowly pull those things away? God clear the path to hear you and to see you and to feel you.
6. And if this is all very new for you and very different, and maybe you don't know Jesus or maybe you have felt very far from Jesus, this is your moment right now. This is a moment of good news for your life. This is a moment to invite Jesus into your heart to invite Jesus to come and meet you. We can't make ourselves good. We can't make ourselves perfect. We can't mend the broken places but he can.
7. Jesus did this for us. He went to the cross for us. He gave up his life for us and he rose to life the third day so that we could have a life that is mended and healed and whole, so that we could walk in joy and peace, so that we would have someone to be with us, to strengthen us through this life, through this journey. He never promised that it would be perfect. He never promised that it would be easy but he promised us a way to him, access to his presence, access to his strength.
8. And that's what Jesus offers today. If you don't know Jesus or you feel far away, this is your chance just to say. ‘Jesus, I surrender to you. I surrender my heart to you. Come and wash me in your blood. Forgive me of my sins. Wipe those things away. You make me a new person and I give my life to you today. I want to serve you with my life. I want to serve you with all that I am. Come and fill my heart today’. In Jesus name. Amen.”
I am a life-long Catholic, husband, dad, teacher and former football coach. I've been teaching the Catholic Faith to young men, religious educators and catechists since 1998. My academic background, MA is in Theology and Catechetics. Email: gary@apexcatechetics.com
