When we hear the word “contagious,” we often think of sickness or some kind of infection,  especially after the COVID pandemic six years ago – or even the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo right now. The word contagious has a negative connotation in almost all areas. But the word contagious is also a good thing. Think of contagious laughter, or, slightly different, an infectious smile. Being contagious can be a good thing.

Imagine what it would be like if someone were to call you a contagious Christian. Or that the church you attended was infectious with the Good News of Jesus the Christ. What would that look like? And how would you get there?

The mechanism that a virus uses to infect a host cell is that it attaches itself to receptors on the cell that match the structure of the virus. Then the virus injects RNA into the healthy cell, and the cell is tricked into stopping its normal, healthy task. The cell then takes that new information and begins to replicate new viruses based on the DNA pattern that it accepted. Finally, the cell bursts open, and a flood of new viruses are sent into your body, infecting more and more cells. It’s an effective strategy for self-replication.

Now, imagine that you are the cell, and the “virus” you want to attract is God’s Word. The best way to do that is to create receptors that are fine tuned to receive Scripture. As God’s Word enters you, it will replicate and multiply, and you will suddenly begin to see all sorts of connections between one part of the Bible with another. You will find scripture more enticing, you will find more meaning in sermons and books you read, and you will begin to see how God’s steadfast love and mercy are already at work in the world all around you. As more receptors begin to form, more connections will be made until the cell that is you can no longer contain it, and it bursts forth from you – spreading God’s Word to the world around you.

This is what happens when we spend time creating receptors for God’s Word. We create these receptors by taking part in small group opportunities: Bible studies, prayer meetings, fellowship opportunities, or even classes about our faith. The more we participate in these events, the more connections we make between what is happening in Scripture to what is happening in the world, and the more we are able to see the beauty of God’s work all around us – even when the world seems bleak and full of chaos.

Get infected. Become contagious. You’ll be happy you did.

[This is an article for the Newsletter at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Wickenburg, October 2026.]