First, a joke – What do you get when you cross a door-to-door preacher and a Lutheran?
Someone who stands on your front porch and doesn’t say anything!
“Evangelism” is the fancy church way of saying “sharing the good news of Jesus” and, particularly in Lutheran circles, it can be a scary or uncomfortable thing – to the point of being a pretty funny punchline.
When you think of evangelism, I wonder what images come to mind -
Ringing doorbells and asking people if they’ve found Jesus?
Standing on a busy street corner holding a sign?
Being *that person* who only ever talks about God, the Bible, and church?
Making people feel guilty that they don’t go to church?
If these descriptions illustrate why you’re hesitant to evangelize, I have great news for you - there’s another way!
Let’s look again at what Jesus describes in the Gospel reading:
Ring doorbells and ask people if they’ve found Jesus? Nope. Enter houses and tell people that Jesus has found them, that the dominion of God has come near.
Stand on a busy street corner holding a sign? Nope. Go into a house and stay there. Share meals together. Get to know one another.
Be *that person* who only ever talks about church? Nope. Talk all you want, I guess, but also teach, and heal. Spend time with people who are sick and hurting and those on the margins. Live authentically. Speak peace.
Make people feel guilty that they don’t go to church? Nope. If they’re not interested, shake the dust off your feet and move on. The dominion of God has come near anyway, and you never know how the Holy Spirit will continue to work in their lives.
The stereotypical images of evangelism can seem pretty transactional. The focus is on what you the speaker can do or say to convince people to buy what you’re selling. You have to move quickly and reach as many people as possible. But the model that Jesus uses is different.
Jesus appoints 70 people to go out ahead of him in pairs to prepare the way for his arrival. Their instructions are to travel light, to avoid anything that will distract from their mission, to be under no illusions that this is simple work, to speak peace, to build relationships, to cure the sick, and through all that to proclaim that the dominion of God has come near.
It takes time to do it this way, and requires vulnerability. “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals.” Jesus says. You’ll be relying on the hospitality of others to provide you with what you need - food, shelter, provision. Don’t hop from house to house drumming up benefactors or looking for the fanciest place. No, remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide.
When we’re used to being the ones in charge, or being the ones who help, it can shake things up to accept help and care from others - and this is a good thing! Relationships are built not by one person who needs something and another person who can provide it - that’s the definition of a transaction. Instead, relationships are built on mutuality - each person as both giver and receiver.
It also requires vulnerability to face rejection. Not everyone will welcome you, not everyone will like what you have to say. It’s easy to take it personally and get discouraged, or to think that if they don’t welcome you and your message, you must be doing it wrong.
But we can't get bogged down by fear or hesitation - Jesus is sending us, and the message we have to share about God's loving presence is an important one!
The good news for us is this - we don’t do this work alone, and, ultimately, it doesn’t depend on us. We don’t save anyone - Jesus does. When I was in seminary, the dean would often remind us of this: “The people you’re going to serve already have a Savior, and it isn’t you.”
No, our Savior is Jesus. Jesus is the one who offers wholeness and healing, grace and welcome, forgiveness and love. Jesus is the one who calls and empowers us, who is at work even when it feels like we’re hopeless and failing. It is the presence of Jesus that allows us to declare that the dominion of God has come near. This is why we return with joy.
We don’t just proclaim to others that the dominion of God has come near. This message is for us, too. In a shared meal, eating and drinking what God has provided – the body and blood of Christ – we receive the presence of Jesus. In the helping hands and comforting words of our neighbors, God’s peace is declared to us. Whether we welcome or reject it, the dominion of God has come near to us. For this we give thanks.
Someone who stands on your front porch and doesn’t say anything!
...
“Evangelism” is the fancy church way of saying “sharing the good news of Jesus” and, particularly in Lutheran circles, it can be a scary or uncomfortable thing – to the point of being a pretty funny punchline.
When you think of evangelism, I wonder what images come to mind -
Ringing doorbells and asking people if they’ve found Jesus?
Standing on a busy street corner holding a sign?
Being *that person* who only ever talks about God, the Bible, and church?
Making people feel guilty that they don’t go to church?
If these descriptions illustrate why you’re hesitant to evangelize, I have great news for you - there’s another way!
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| Photo by Christopher Harris on Unsplash |
Let’s look again at what Jesus describes in the Gospel reading:
Ring doorbells and ask people if they’ve found Jesus? Nope. Enter houses and tell people that Jesus has found them, that the dominion of God has come near.
Stand on a busy street corner holding a sign? Nope. Go into a house and stay there. Share meals together. Get to know one another.
Be *that person* who only ever talks about church? Nope. Talk all you want, I guess, but also teach, and heal. Spend time with people who are sick and hurting and those on the margins. Live authentically. Speak peace.
Make people feel guilty that they don’t go to church? Nope. If they’re not interested, shake the dust off your feet and move on. The dominion of God has come near anyway, and you never know how the Holy Spirit will continue to work in their lives.
The stereotypical images of evangelism can seem pretty transactional. The focus is on what you the speaker can do or say to convince people to buy what you’re selling. You have to move quickly and reach as many people as possible. But the model that Jesus uses is different.
Jesus appoints 70 people to go out ahead of him in pairs to prepare the way for his arrival. Their instructions are to travel light, to avoid anything that will distract from their mission, to be under no illusions that this is simple work, to speak peace, to build relationships, to cure the sick, and through all that to proclaim that the dominion of God has come near.
It takes time to do it this way, and requires vulnerability. “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals.” Jesus says. You’ll be relying on the hospitality of others to provide you with what you need - food, shelter, provision. Don’t hop from house to house drumming up benefactors or looking for the fanciest place. No, remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide.
When we’re used to being the ones in charge, or being the ones who help, it can shake things up to accept help and care from others - and this is a good thing! Relationships are built not by one person who needs something and another person who can provide it - that’s the definition of a transaction. Instead, relationships are built on mutuality - each person as both giver and receiver.
It also requires vulnerability to face rejection. Not everyone will welcome you, not everyone will like what you have to say. It’s easy to take it personally and get discouraged, or to think that if they don’t welcome you and your message, you must be doing it wrong.
But we can't get bogged down by fear or hesitation - Jesus is sending us, and the message we have to share about God's loving presence is an important one!
The good news for us is this - we don’t do this work alone, and, ultimately, it doesn’t depend on us. We don’t save anyone - Jesus does. When I was in seminary, the dean would often remind us of this: “The people you’re going to serve already have a Savior, and it isn’t you.”
No, our Savior is Jesus. Jesus is the one who offers wholeness and healing, grace and welcome, forgiveness and love. Jesus is the one who calls and empowers us, who is at work even when it feels like we’re hopeless and failing. It is the presence of Jesus that allows us to declare that the dominion of God has come near. This is why we return with joy.
We don’t just proclaim to others that the dominion of God has come near. This message is for us, too. In a shared meal, eating and drinking what God has provided – the body and blood of Christ – we receive the presence of Jesus. In the helping hands and comforting words of our neighbors, God’s peace is declared to us. Whether we welcome or reject it, the dominion of God has come near to us. For this we give thanks.
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