Do you prefer routine or change?

I'm a creature of habit.  I choose the same restaurants.  I order the same dishes.  I wear the same clothes (since college, my wife reminds me).  I go to the same coffee shop (and sit at the same table).  Boring, right?

In Luke 10 - Jesus sends out 72 of his followers into the villages ahead of him.  He tells them not to move around from house to house (or maybe from restaurant to restaurant).  I'm starting to realize the depth of purpose behind this instruction.  Instead of creating a new "outreach" program that needs a new team to lead it, and volunteers to staff it, and money to resource it, we instead choose to settle into some consistent routines.  And suddenly we find ourselves becoming more available to God and to those around us - and it doesn't require a single ounce of extra energy or effort or time.

What if we decided to visit the same places at the same time every week.  And committed to enter those places open and willing to be useful to God?

Dream with me for a second about what might happen if we applied this "don't move around" instruction to our day to day lives.  Instead of picking a lunch destination on Wednesday's based on what sounds best to eat that day, I pick the same place every Wednesday.  Mark and I meet there (Jesus sent them out in 2's) and sit at the same table.  And are served by the same waitress.  We even order the same dish, every time: Chicken Pad Thai - extra spicy.  Now she just says, "the usual?"  Eventually we talk about other things.  Turns out we are fans of the same TV show.  We trade theories on what's happening.  After awhile I notice that she always wears a gold cross.  One day I ask, "Hey, you're always wearing that same cross.  What does that mean to you?"  The door opens to all kinds of other conversations.  We start to ask her how we can pray for her.  Turns out her mother back in Thailand is dying.  She's sad that she likely won't make it back there to see her again before she dies.  We pray for her.  We've known her for a year when we start bringing Debbie to lunch with us.  After a few weeks Debbie tells her about a group of women in our church who meet weekly to study the Bible and encourage each other.  A month later, the waitress is coming to that group and feeling cared for and accepted in a way she has never experienced before.  

 I also discover that there are some other folks who eat at this same restaurant every Wednesday as well.  Eventually we cross paths somewhere else and I say, "Hey, don't I see you in Nitaya every Wednesday?"  We begin to talk briefly on Wednesdays.  One day, (even though it feels awkward) I ask this guy if I can share a table with him.  We have a great conversation.  As we start to get to know each other, I'm just listening and asking good questions.  I'm praying for him and praying that God would work through those conversations.  I'm listening for those moments when I feel God nudge me to share something about my life and my faith.  Maybe one of these days I'll tell him about Malawi. I think that will be really compelling to him. I have no idea where this will new friendship will lead.  

To be perfectly honest, when I step back and look at what's happening, I can hardly believe it.  If you had told me I had to go find 2 strangers and develop a friendship in the hopes of being able to speak the love and mercy of Christ into their lives, I don't think I would have even tried.  

But it's happening.  It's happening without requiring a single moment of extra effort.  I'm doing something I would be doing anyway.  Going out to lunch.  But I'm going to lunch with a purpose.  I'm going to lunch as God's partner on a mission.

And it all started by deciding to settle into a routine.

Don't move around from place to place.  Settle in and be available.  Pray that God would use you!  See what happens.

Do you care?

At the last Presbytery meeting we had, the speaker was describing a host of changes that are being proposed for the way we organize ourselves as a denomination.  I'll save you the details.  But it involved such important things as committee names and bureaucratic structures.  After the presentation, someone in the crowd rose and asked if the speaker really believed these changes would help us connect with new people and stop shrinking as a denomination.

The speaker's response was intriguing.  He basically said, "I don't care if we shrink or if we grow.  That's the wrong question."

I can't think of a statement I've heard recent years that I more fully agreed with and at the same time was more disturbed by.

First of all, I absolutely agree that "growing the church" is the wrong scorecard.  I flinch at the idea of a church having "Get Bigger" as its goal.  For one thing, if you are trying to reach people BECAUSE you want to grow your church, it will inevitably come across that way and I don't think it will work.  It's not authentic or gospel focused.  It's dangerous.

But on the other hand, when I thought about the "I don't care if we grow" statement, I couldn't help but think about the fact that the un-churched population in our community is ever expanding.  The number of people who are disconnected from the grace giving body of Christ is growing daily.  There are ever more people missing out on the peace of Christ in their lives.

And we don't care.

Maybe we settle on the "I don't care" option because we're scared to death of the idea of trying to actually have spiritual conversations with our un-churched friends.  Or maybe we lean towards not caring because we aren't really convinced that our unchurched friends are missing out on anything.

Whatever the reason, the "not caring" option stands in stark contrast with the way Paul DOES care in 1 Corinthians 9 - "I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might win some.  I do all these things for the sake of the gospel."

Now here's the thing: Clearly there is a difference between wanting our churches to grow and desperately wanting our neighbor to connect with Jesus Christ.  I don't believe for a second that the presenter at Presbytery doesn't care about people's souls.  It's just that in my very limited experience, the "I don't care" position tends to affect the way we think about both our church AND our neighbor.

I sincerely hope our church grows.  But not because I want a bigger church.  I hope our church grows because we desperately care about our neighbors meeting Jesus.  I hope our church grows because we are doing everything we do for the sake of the gospel.  I hope our church grows as a result of our becoming all things to all people in order to save some.

I hope we care.