Near the end of his gospel, John explains why he has gone to the trouble of telling certain stories. “These are written,” he says, “so that you may come to believe.” Like John, Jesus is also willing to do whatever it takes to make the Easter story convincing for his friends. Thomas doubts, Jesus makes a special appearance to give him proof. Today, Easter is still a time for telling the good news in fresh and creative ways to make sure that it is accessible and convincing to people of many ages, places and personalities. Easter stewardship involves supporting our storytellers and providing the tools they need to write, speak, sing and show the stories of our faith.
Today we remember Hans Nielsen Hauge, renewer of the church, who died in 1824. This excerpt is from “Providing for storytellers,” a stewardship devotion written by Emma Crossen that first appeared in the April 2012 issue of Interchange.