Set Off The Road a Little
I continue to run into people and hear from others that they’ve never been to or seen our church. When we’ve had community events or funerals at the church, I’ve been called and asked about directions from people living in Williamson. Our church unfortunately is set off the road a little, hidden behind houses, tucked back away from where people might notice it. It is one of the most unique churches around with our wonderful cobblestones and many people know about the
As I was thinking about this, I wondered about our ministries and missions. I wondered about our worship service and the groups that meet in our church. I wondered if our ministry to the community around us was getting the same way as our church. Set off the road a little. Not getting too involved. Keeping ourselves separate.
When I look at Jesus’ life, I’m always taken back by the way he immersed himself in those around him. He had no boundaries, no barriers to his ministry. He became approachable by anyone. Keep the blind away they said. He’s got no time for them and yet he would go to them and heal them. The leprous are unclean. No one would touch them and Jesus would lay his hands on them and heal them. The children are too young, too noisy, and Jesus took them in his arms and blessed them. The tax collectors are too sinful, the prostitutes too corrupt, the fishermen too smelly, the Samaritans too unclean, and the list could go on and on, but Jesus didn’t care about what the world thought of them. He loved them because they were his children.
My Dad said to me the other night, “You know there are people out there that when you help them will continue to go on living their lives in sin. Doing the same bad stuff they were doing, but you don’t help someone because of how you might change them or what you get from it. You help them because it’s the right thing to do!” Jesus immersed himself in people even if the cost was high and it was for him. It was his life. We need to take note of this. We need to get ourselves on the road. We need to immerse ourselves into our community. Open our church up, our lives up, our gifts, our time, everything. Not because we will get something out of doing that. Not because our church might grow in numbers. Not because we may meet our budget. Not because of the warm fuzzy feelings.
Because It Is The Right Thing To Do!
The right thing to love others, to care for them, to help them in their time of need. The right thing to offer grace, to make it possible for others to grow, to fight for what is right and stand up for those who can’t. And getting immersed, getting back to the road, means that we do have to give up some things. It comes with a price tag that will never be paid back to us in this life on earth. It comes with an uneasiness because we have to trust that God will take care of us. It comes with a wall that we will continually have to climb because our fears will mount up over and over, but these things that we will have to give up do not compare to what Jesus gave up for us so that we could know what true life is, what true love is, what grace is.
As the parable of the talents teaches us, God does not want us to sit with the gifts we have. Instead he gives us the glorious opportunity to use them in amazing ways. Will we fail at times? Will it hurt sometimes? Will it be scary and nerve wracking? Will it stretch us beyond our limits? The answer is yes to all of these. But if we don’t risk it, if we stay at our a little off the road place we will continue to dwindle. There is no growth in stagnation and at the same time there is no risk that does not cause us to grow too.
It is time…I’ve said that statement in over 100 sermons, but it is time. Time to put away our fears. Time to stop blaming our busy lives or our own agendas. Time to stop burying our gifts. Time to stop allowing the concerns and needs of our community to go unnoticed. Time to truly live out what it means to be a follower of Christ! Waiting off the road a little bit is a safe place to be, but getting immersed is how we were created from the beginning of time to live. It is time church. It is time!