[Sending the Seventy; the Good Samaritan; Mary and Martha]
I really wanted to make this a Top Ten list today, but perhaps I’m a long-winded Presbyterian pastor. Or perhaps ten is too predictable and eleven seems more catchy. Either way, the last three weeks of Gospel stories from Luke 10 have so much depth and practicality when it comes to gearing up a church to do outreach, that I wanted to really pull them out and share them with you today.
Before that, though, a disclaimer: I think the number one fear of “folks like us” [Mainline Protestants, aka, the Frozen Chosen] doing outreach is that we’ll have to knock on doors or walk up to total strangers and ask that awkward question: “Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?” In fact, I will never ask you to do that, because the good Presbyterian answer is that a) Jesus accepts us, not the other way around; and b) we believe Jesus is for sharing. However, I might ask you someday to knock on doors. Or to talk to total strangers. More on that in a moment.
So, what do these three gospel stories have to teach us, for those of us who want to do outreach in our church but just don’t know to get started?
1. Many hands make the work lighter: We know Jesus is present when only two or three of us are gathered, but we’re going to need a lot more help if we’re going to do any real outreach. After all, Jesus himself appointed and trained 70 followers to conduct his outreach campaign. And he asked those seventy to go out and ask other people to help as well! And before that, he had twelve students, the disciples, that he was training up to teach their own students in the future! Jesus wasn’t about to try to do this all on his own! Sure there were things that only Jesus could do, but there were lots more things than any one person could do.
2. Look in unexpected places: Help, and great ideas, can come from anywhere and anyone. That was the surprise of the Good Samaritan--nobody expected him to hit the homerun of discipleship. Even in our own church, we have folks who are sort of on the margins, who remain quiet when all the usual folks are thick in the discussion. However, our folks on the margins have a unique perspective on our situation. We will do well to encourage them to speak their mind--they might have the key to our future ministry.
3. Have healthy boundaries: The Good Samaritan did not let the task before him completely take over his life. He stopped long enough to do what he could. He used the tools he had available. And then he used his resources to enlist the help of the innkeeper, while he continued on and met his other obligations. He came back as he promised to fulfill his part of the bargain. This is a good model for us. Sometimes in outreach, we come across specific situations or people who need our help and love--and also more than our help and love. We should be unafraid to do what we can to help and to walk alongside them in their journey, but also to know when we don’t have all the answers, and connect them to additional resources they may need. This is different than abandoning someone in their struggles--we still are called to return and be a friend inasmuch as we can, and keeping that friendship a healthy one.
4. Get grounded: In order to be healthy ourselves, we also gotta spend some personal time learning and listening to God. Granted, Mary got in trouble with her sister for neglecting (or at least delaying) the daily duties that needed to happen, but she did so in order to take advantage of an opportunity. She knew that what Jesus was saying would transform her life, and took time out to listen.
5. Bring on the food: People interact with each other differently when there’s food around. Being nurtured by food allows us to open up and socialize with others in healthy ways. We celebrate our lives and gather our families and friends around food. Jesus walked in the door, maybe as a complete stranger, and Martha went to the kitchen to get the soup on. Jesus instructed the seventy to accept hospitality and be fed. Over those dinners, after all, relationships would be nurtured that would allow faith to grow and deepen.
6. Don’t sweat the details: There's a reason Jesus didn't want the seventy to weigh themselves down with over-packing and over-preparing. He wanted them to focus on the relationships being built. Mary could relate. Rather than burying ourselves in endless planning (or falling victim to what’s known as analysis paralysis), sometimes it's okay to do the bare minimum of logistics needed for an event, and allow ourselves to have a good time doing what we're doing.
7. Ask the question: Let’s talk for a moment about being in our own homes. I know that a lot of us have family members and close friends who are not churchgoers. And I’m not asking you to coerce them into coming to church with you. But, I would like you to ask them why they don’t attend, and really listen. Don’t argue. Don’t try to come up with a quick fix. Just really honestly ask, what keeps you from going to church? This is valuable feedback, because these people love you, and you love them. Ask the right way, and you’ll get a loving but very honest answer. Sometimes when we listen, we really learn things about ourselves that we need to know. So don’t get defensive, just thank them for their honest feedback. Don’t try to ‘fix’ the problem, just listen. Jesus wanted people to ask questions, regardless of the answer they might get.
8. Know when to fold: Go to uncomfortable places, but don’t go alone, and don’t wear yourself out on something that’s not working. Jesus sent the seventy with pretty clear instructions about this. We have to not be afraid to fail. And if something we try does fail, we need to not beat ourselves over the head about it. It's a waste of energy. We don’t want to quit altogether, just dust ourselves off, and move on to something else.
9. Meet the need: The Good Samaritan opened his bag (purse, actually) and used his resources to help. The seventy, even with what little they brought along, were also resourceful and useful wherever they went--healing sick people and so forth. We ourselves have a lot of resources out of which to minister to our community. We have a beautiful new facility, and spacious surrounding property. We have a lot of people who are active and like to volunteer. We cook really well. We have space to hold big events, and to gather in small groups over coffee. We even have a little money we could put towards trying some new things. Let’s put what we have to work, and do so with love.
10. Invite to serve: People want to connect their faith to doing something meaningful, they just don’t always know how. We can help them--we can invite them to come along when we’re volunteering somewhere. We can even invite them along on a mission trip or to help at the food pantry. We can invite them to bring a salad, or a guitar. Also, let’s face it, a 60-minute Sunday worship service just doesn’t appeal to everyone, but there are other ways of expressing faith and connecting with a faith community. Some people learn best by doing.
11. Go on, get out of here: None of us should be here in the church building so often that we have no outside lives. Without our outside lives, we won’t get the outside perspective we need to do good outreach. And perhaps that was the problem with the Levite and the priest: both were so entrenched in the daily details of church life, that they couldn’t see the big picture--or the opportunity to share God’s love that was laying in the road right in front of them.
One of the main reasons for gathering at church is to be nurtured and recharged to go out and be the people God calls us to be: a good parent, child, or spouse, a good employer or employee, a good neighbor or a kind stranger. In all our callings, we are called to follow Jesus. And when God’s love is truly reflected in our everyday lives, that is some of the best outreach of all.
So yes, at some point, you may have to knock on a few doors and talk to a few strangers. But sometimes only to ask, ‘hey, do you need a little help there?’ Or, ‘would you like to help me with something?’ Both establish connections and change lives.
Jesus calls us to unexpected places in our lives, but we do not go alone. God’s grace is with us, and surrounded by God’s love, we can do all things. Amen.
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Prayers for this week:
Reconciliation, justice, peace and healing for racial and ethnic tension, that we may understand root causes and work for lasting healing.
Peace for all places of violence, strife, and trauma in this world.
Healing and comfort for all recovering from surgery.
Traveling mercies for our Mission Trip team in Kentucky, our campers headed to Illinois, and all who are on the road this time of year.
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