The Church's dirty little words.

I’m going to speak this morning about one of the church’s dirty little words. 

Did you know that we have dirty words in the church?   Now they are not swear words- but they are words that the church uses that tend to make  us a little bit uncomfortable. 

Let me try one out on you—tithe—-we don’t normally speak about that word—tithe is the practice of giving ten percent of one’s income to God.  I’m not going to talk about this morning- we’ll save that for another morning---- I am going to speak about another one I think this one’s even dirtier and more uncomfortable that tithe.

Anyone want to try to guess—it begins with the letter “E”

Evangelism—how does that make you feel?  You may feel even more uncomfortable if I say that it is part of our call as Christian people— it’s right in the middle of the baptismal covenant—we make a promise to proclaim by word and example the good news of God is Jesus Christ.

When I teach baptism to parents and other’s —people immediately glom onto the example part of the promise—  we can do that— we can live a good life, but using our words—to share the good news----I am sure there is someone out there—I am not knocking on anyone’s door. 

The word evangelism is uncomfortable first because there are somethings that we as Americans think you just don’t talk about you don’t talk about sex or politics or religion. 

I also think we find evangelism uncomfortable because we think it has to do with knocking on doors or going to the street corner with a mega-phone and saying things like repent or die. 

But I have to say something---I have read the bible—and Jesus didn’t knock on any doors. 

One of the ways he went about drawing people into the kingdom is right before us in today’s Gospel.  

Two fellows show up and he asks them a very simple question—“what are you looking for?”

“Well-- Jesus where are you staying?”

Then a simple invitation.  “Come and See.” I think in some way this  can be a model of evangelism for—what are you looking for—well come and see. 

How often have you had a conversation with friend and in the midst of the conversation—you realize that deep down—something isn’t right for this person or something missing for that person --- maybe they are looking for something that the world can’t give—how hard would it be to say to that person—want to come to church with me—how hard would it be to say to that person you know I found myself more grounded or I find that the chaos dies away when I carve out a moment each week to take part in my community of faith or when I sit quietly in prayer.   This is evangelism.

Or what about the friend  who may have a burden that is pressing in on them—come and see may look like saying you know what  I feel some much better when I give my burdens,  when I give my troubles to God –can we pray that God might take on, share some of those burdens.  That’s is evangelism.

Evangelism doesn’t have to do with knocking on the doors of house of people we don’t know, but rather journeying with family and friends and when the opportunity presents itself—  come and see or this has been my experience of God. 

A few years back  when I was serving at St. Mark’s we had  what was called “Invite a Friend Sunday”—it was a particular Sunday where parishioners were encouraged to invite family or friends to join them at church that day. 

We had a special service and coffee hour.   

We know that most new people come to a church because they have been invited by someone.

About a month before invite a friend Sunday --- I gave everyone an index card and invited them to  write the names of people they wanted to invite on the card and then pray for them—to simply pray that God might open a door in a conversation to give them the opportunity to invite a person with them to church.

In the lead up to invite a friend Sunday I was amazed at the times that somebody said something—that opened the door for me to then invite them to church.

Chrishelle and I were at the funeral at an evangelical church when a friend asked what is your church like.  Another time I was telling another acquaintance what I did for work and he said he and his wife were looking for a place to worship that was a little more progressive and liberal.

Today I would invite you to begin praying for someone who might find being at church helpful  and simply pray for that person. If you want—go home and write that person’s name on an index card- a put it somewhere where you might see it now and again.  If you don’t have a name—maybe your prayer is simply—God open a door, and wait and see what happen. 

My grandfather a devout Catholic prayed for my grandmother who was an atheist for 50 years.   A few months before my grandmother died—she asked to be baptized.   Prayer can be powerful. 

We have a wonderful message to share that God loves without exception— we have messages that there is no one and no situation beyond redemption.   The world around us doesn’t have a message like that.    The world say your value is determined by what you produce or what you do or don’t do.  

But we have a message that needs to be shared.

Evangelism doesn’t begin with a knock—it begins with a prayer—it begins with simple words like come and see.   Evangelism doesn’t have to be a dirty word that makes us uncomfortable, but a word that helps us to offer life and good news to those who need a little bit of light and good news. 

AMEN