May 10, 2009
Acts 8; 26-40
John 15: 1-8
"At The Intersection of Opportunity and Need"
I am not sure where opportunity and need intersect. None of us really know when that moment will arrive. But there will be a time when you suddenly have an opportunity to meet a need in another person. God assures that the moment will happen, but it is up to each one of us to recognize the moment and take advantage of what God gives. When we find ourselves at the intersection of opportunity and need, it is time to act boldly.
For instance, it could be at work, it could be at a friend's home or on the street or at a Zephyr's game. You meet someone, you bump into someone and you begin to talk and somehow, don't ask me how, the word "church" is mentioned. And you alertly say, "I go to church" and then wait to see what happens.
Some people will let it go, others will say I go too and that's a wonderful opportunity to talk about church. You will always learn something; always gain new insights when you talk with a friend about church. But a few will begin to open the door. He or she might say, "Well, I don't go to church. I mean I believe in God and being good but I'm more of a spiritual person. Nothing against church, but I really am not into organized religion. Organized religion and church are not for me."
There's your opportunity. You can assure your new friend that though you go to church, it is really not that organized. Things are always changing, always different, and even a little chaotic. A little slice of Christian chaos is what we are. So no one has to be afraid of us being too organized. No one has to worry about us being "organized religion."
Then you say, "Why don't you come to my church? It's great. It's fun. You'll meet some nice people, hear some good music, we even have a men's group. Great singers. Why don't you come to my church?"
Now your friend is thinking. Why should I go to church? Sunday is my one free day. There's the paper to read, TV to watch, time to hang out. I can go to Starbucks and hang out and people will just leave me alone. Why should I go to church?
"I don't know," she says. "I never really liked church and there is so much else to do on Sunday mornings. What's better about church?"
Great question you think. What makes church different than Subway or Starbucks, Café du Monde or just sitting on the porch? Why would this nice spiritual person who is against organized religion want to go my church? This is a critical point because all you can offer now is the difference: what is the difference between sitting at home or on the porch or sitting in a nice coffee house with nice people and going to church?
Now is the time to take the plunge: it is time to mention God. "We believe in God just like you do and we believe that God believes in us too. Actually, we believe that God loves us and that is different. That feels wonderful and good and satisfying when you share that with other people. In my church we believe that God loves us, supports us and holds us and that is different than any other place I know about. It's sure not Starbucks or the Lebanon Café. It's sure different than sitting at home watching a video or reading the Sunday paper sitting on the front steps."
"And there is something else. My church is really different. We are trying to do something that is really hard, really difficult, and really important. Everything we do is important and that makes it exciting. We are trying to become a new church; to take two churches and maybe make them one church. To take a German heritage church on Carrollton and join it with an African American church from Bienville and make them one new church. That is exciting. That makes us really different. You should come and see us wrestle with this amazing opportunity."
You have done well so far. You really have. You've gotten further than most in this moment when opportunity intersects with need. But, like Philip talking with the Ethiopian or Paul writing to the Corinthians, you are about to head into Jesus territory. Jesus, the stumbling block, waits.
Your friend is excited and almost hooked. Most people like to hear about a church that is different, that is trying something new, that is not stuck in the water or drowning in the old ways. Most people like to hear about a church full of potential just like yours.
Your friend, who is spiritual and not religious, asks the big question. "Do you believe in Jesus? I mean, do you really believe Jesus is the Son of God? I think he was a good teacher, a wise person who set a good example. But, I just can't believe he is divine, that he is the Son of God. I have a really hard time with the resurrection. I'm sorry Jesus was killed, but the resurrection? Do you believe all that stuff or do you just have his name in the Church title?"
Now you have to think, to think with your mind and with your heart. If you believe your church, our church, is alive, then why is it alive? As you think, you remember that reading from a little while back. Something about Jesus being the vine and we being the branches. Something about Jesus being the source of our life, the lifeblood of our very existence. Of how if we are cut off from the vine, we loose our vitality, our energy, our opportunity for good. We die.
But if we stay attached to the vine, we will flourish; we will bear great fruit. You remember that, you look at your friend and - clinging for dear life to the Vine - you boldly say:
"Yes, we believe in Jesus just as he believes in us. My church believes in Jesus because without Him we are nothing special at all. We are just a club, or a museum or a random collection of social do-gooders without Jesus. We know that we need him. I'm not saying we all believe exactly the same thing about Jesus. We don't. But he is central to us. We are at different points: We all have our doubts, our questions. We don't march in some lock-step theology. We know we don't have all the answers. We know we are very human and that we make mistakes. We know we are not better than everyone else.
But we know we need Jesus in order to stay alive, to realize our potential as a church. We hope to believe in Jesus as much as he believes in us. And we know we need help: from each other and from God.
Why don't you come to my church and see for yourself. And if you come, I promise you won't just be welcomed, you won't just be tolerated: You will be loved in my church. Why don't you come with me?"
The need in your friend has just intersected with the opportunity God has given to you. I don't know how he or she will answer, but you have invited, offered, and loved. You have played Philip to the Ethiopian, you have claimed your place on the Vine, and now it is up to God. You have done well and now it is in God's hands.
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