Monday Morning Reflections
Praise God for beautiful days! It’s 8am, Ben’s still sleeping, and it’s in the 50’s outside. Good morning for sipping coffee.
Yesterday was an adventure. Have you ever experienced going on vacation only to return in a “vacation fog”? I stuttered and stammered through the first half of my sermon yesterday, but Erin tells me I pulled it together at the end. Good thing - it was one of the most challenging sermons I’ve had to deliver.
I decided when I came to Mt. Bethel that I would preach the lectionary Gospel lesson each week until Christmas. For those who are scratching their heads and asking, the lectionary is simply a listing of preaching texts for the year. Each week, according to the season, has an OT text, a Psalm, a Gospel reading, and an epistle lesson. It’s used by pastors across denominations and can be a good way to make sure you’re not preaching the same stuff over and over and that you’re dealing with difficult texts with your people.
I’ve held true to my decision so far. Yesterday’s text was Luke 16:19-31, The Rich Man and Lazarus. What a challenge to convey Christ’s words to people. The rich man died and went to hell, not because of what he did, but because of what he didn’t do. I’m serving a church that has had very little work in missions and evangelism. The congregation’s been in the midst of a farming community for the last 180 years and are being challenged with a booming new growth in the area.
I’ve been reflecting on this a lot lately. There seems to be a feeling of desperation among many of the church’s members that they just don’t know what to do. A small handful has tried door-to-door evangelism, but that’s proven unfruitful. The older members are used to an agrarian culture where a new family moved in once every couple of years and with little effort, they joined the local congregation. In the midst of a local population boom, there has been a feeling of being lost in attempts to reach new families.
It’s not so easy to reach new families. We can’t simply open our doors and wait on them to come. Even in areas that are still rural, the times have changed and so must our outreach. For the last 100 years, churches have boomed in attendance simply because they were available and membership was part of being a good citizen. Older churches are now being faced with the harsh reality that if you don’t provide what people are looking for, they won’t come.
Servant evangelism is something that keeps coming to my attention and the more I see and the more I read, the more I’m bought into this way of thinking. I’ve added a new book to the book list on the blog. Be sure to check it out. Steve Sjogren has a plethora of easy ideas for people to share their faith without having to be like Paul. I’ve caught the fever and I’m going to try a couple of these on my own. I’m praying that servant evangelism will catch fire in the congregation at Mt. Bethel.
As I finish this post, I’ve run across Tony Morgan’s blog for today. Check it out. It’s along the same lines of what I’m learning about our intentionality. The mindset at Mt. Bethel is that it would be great to have 10 new members per year (just enough to break even or grow by 1%). We’re clearly not thinking big enough. Especially in an area that is becoming a bedroom community overnight. Statistically, 30% of people moving in will look for a new church home. In the new neighborhoods right around Mt. Bethel alone, and only looking at the homes that are currently on the market, we will have 200+ new households in our back yard that will be looking for a new church. What an opportunity! It doesn’t take a prophet to figure out what God has called this church to do.
The challenge extends beyond the church as a whole though. As individuals, what are we doing to reach other people? The rich man/high priest went to hell by himself. Jesus didn’t say that the whole temple went to hell or even the whole leadership. Even though we live in community with one another, we are still individually accountable. Are we relying on the few to do the work of evangelism for us or are we getting our hands dirty?
I remember the first time on a mission trip that I was called on to share my faith. I was terrified and rightfully so. My faith was important to me and I wasn’t sure if I could handle any sort of rejection. I wanted to be present with those who were sharing, but I didn’t want to be the one sharing directly. I hid in the background until one of my good friends pushed me to the front. I made every excuse I could, but Tom bested me in the end by simply asking, “do you remember the person who shared their faith with you? How would your life be different if they had been too afraid?”
That one rhetorical question has provided the motivation for me to share my faith for the last 10 years and probably will for years to come. Even now, I have times that I’m sitting in a coffee shop, working on a mission trip, or even getting up to preach on Sunday morning that I have my fears about laying it out there for someone else. I’m always taken back to that day in inner-city Philadelphia and encouraged by Tom’s words. I may never know if I’m making a difference when I share my faith, but I know in my heart that there is always that possibility and that I never do it alone. God is the only one that can make it work, but I have to make myself available as His tool.
How would your life be different if nobody ever shared their faith with you? If nobody ever invited you to church? If you never had the opportunity to encounter Christ? What are you doing to be SIGNIFICANT for the Kingdom of God, even in the most insignificant ways?
_____________________________________________
By the way, today is Stephen’s birthday! Happy Birthday Stephen! Nothing special happens at 27!
