In the Gospel of John, an excited Mary Magdalene returns from the tomb early Easter morning to tell the disciples, "I have seen the Lord!"  In the Gospel of Luke, later that daytwo disciples return from their walk to Emmaus to announce to the other disciples that Jesus appeared to them.  But before they can speak, the other disciples announce to them, "The Lord has risen indeed!"  And so it has gone to this very day.  Christians prove over and over again that the power of the gospel is in the telling.  When we have the Good News, we can't keep it to ourselves.  Every situation and circumstance is a right time for sharing the gospel.

That was made clear in the lives of one of our sister saints at ALC a couple Tuesdays ago.  Dodie had set out to drive from home to church for a meeting of the Women of Ascension.  The harsh, wet winter has left our country roads full of potholes.  Missing them is like navigating an obstacle course.  Hit one of the larger, deeper ones, and you can almost count on a flat tire.

Dodie was managing to miss most of them that morning until oncoming traffic meant she couldn't avoid a big one on Linton Hill Road.  The car struck it with a loud thud.  That was followed by the unmistakable sound and feel of a flat tire.  Dodie safely pulled over, and wondered what in the world she was going to do.  Before she had come up with an answer a young man drove up behind her, stopped, and asked if he could help.  He volunteered to phone for help since Dodie had been a bit unnerved by the experience. 

While they waited for the tow truck, Dodie thanked the young man, and told him that he had surely been a "Good Samaritan" for her.  That might have been the end of the conversation, but it wasn't.  Dodie didn't miss out on a chance to witness to the Good News even if she was shaken up from her experience.  She asked the young man if he knew the Bible story of the Good Samaritan.  He said he did, but invited her to tell it to him again.  And while they waited a few more minutes for the tow truck, she did.