Back in the days when I worked in IT I had to produce a write-up on a new processing system.  With some satisfaction I handed the finished work to my supervisor.  Next morning the write up was back on my desk with the word KISS in big red letters on the front page.  No!  He was not giving my work an osculation (that’s a big word for a kiss!).  Nor was he promoting the then newly formed rock group with that name.  No!  He was telling me in no uncertain terms to “Keep It Simple, Stupid!”

There’s a lovely story about “keeping it simple” that involves two Swiss citizens: scientist Albert Einstein and theologian Karl Barth.  I’m not sure if the story is true or not – but it could be, since they were contemporaries (Einstein died in 1955 and Barth in 1968).  Apparently at this meeting Barth asked the scientist for a simple explanation of his studies of the universe.  Albert Einstein is supposed to have said, “It all boils down to: ‘Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are!’”  Einstein then asked the theologian for a simple explanation of his massive multi volume work of theology.  The story goes that Karl Barth replied, “It all boils down to: ‘Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so!’”

KISS!  It’s an important message.  Why say osculation when you can say kiss?  I recall my mother saying of a guest speaker at my graduation, “He must have been good, I didn’t understand a word of what he was saying!”  I’ve tried to keep the KISS lesson in mind during my years as a preacher and teacher.  For example, I’ve always found a great delight in reminding my parishioners and students that you can sum up the essentials of the Christian faith in just three words – and they all begin with the letter ‘S’.

The first ‘S’ word reminds us that we human beings have a very serious problem.  That problem is Sin.  And if you want a definition of sin, it is not just murder or theft but anything that is contrary to God’s revealed will.

The second ‘S’ word points us to the wonderful reality that God has a solution to our problem: Salvation.  It’s the message of Jesus taking the penalty for our sin on the cross of Calvary and then changing and renewing us.

The third ‘S’ word tells us that we need to respond to this good news of our salvation.  Our response ought to be: Service!  We’re called to live a life of thankful service s for the fact that Jesus has saved us by his death.

The Christian Faith was profound enough to keep a theologian like Karl Barth busy writing many books – including his five-volume Church Dogmatics.  But at the same time it is so profoundly simple that a child can understand it... so simple that we can sum up its essentials in just three words: sin, salvation and service.  By the way: that makes our job of sharing our Christian faith with others so much easier.  Those three key words are a great guide for us to use.

Did I make up those three words?  I wish!  No, definitely not!  They go back all the way to the Apostle Paul in the New Testament.  The Apostle Peter complained in one of his letter that some of Paul’s writings about the Christian faith were hard to understand.  That always made me feel better when I struggled with some complex argument used by Paul in his letters.  If the apostle Peter had trouble understanding it then I shouldn’t wonder why I have to read it three times before I get it.  I suspect that Peter was talking especially about Paul’s letter to the Romans.

It would have been helpful for the Apostle Peter to know that Paul’s letter to the Romans can be summed up in those three key words.  Well, maybe Peter did know that.  After a brief introduction Paul spends the bulk of the first three chapters talking about our problem: sin.  Then by far the largest part of Romans (more than eight chapters) is spent explaining various aspects of salvation.  Finally Paul wraps it all up by showing us from chapter 12 onwards how to respond in a life of service.

KISS – we have a serious problem; God has a wonderful solution; we need to respond to that.  Sin... Salvation... Service...!  What could be simpler than that?

John Westendorp