As we approach the season of Lent, I am thinking about the ways that God is calling us to invite new people to encounter Jesus in a powerful way. For generations, we have invited people to come to our churches on Ash Wednesday, to think with us about our mortality, consider what it means to recognize our sinfulness, to choose to walk a different way during the season leading up to Holy Week, and to receive ashes as a sign of their choice. I am not sure if this is the case for you, but through my 25+ years of ministry, I have watched the numbers of people coming to churches to participate in this practice dwindling.
Today, I am wondering if God is calling us to take our practices on the road.
Click on this link, and read the story of a young pastor who decided to take her ashes, and meet people at a local coffee shop last year: http://www.churchleadership.com/leadingideas/leaddocs/2014/140226_article.html
If we believe that knowing and following Jesus is the greatest adventure in the world… And, we believe that every person we meet in our neighborhoods is a spiritual being who is seeking for meaning and purpose… then why not take our ancient symbols of human interaction with Christ on the road?
To be effective in this, like the pastor in this story, we need to find language that makes sense to people who do not know “church-ese.” And, we need to be just as committed to listening as we are to speaking. But, we also need to take the risk of being bold to invite strangers into our practices of prayer and silence, remembering our frailty, and seeking to turn our faces toward following Jesus’ way. Who knows how God might use us if we simply get outside our buildings, and put ourselves in those risky places.
Rebecca Laird and Alicia Wood are working together with a team of others to plant The Road, a New Faith Community in Syracuse. Early last fall they began showing up in a park in the city on Fridays at noon with peanut butter sandwiches, and the bread and cup of holy communion. Every single Friday (yes, even on the coldest days of this winter) they have been in that park. And every single Friday they have shared a simple meal, and served communion to anyone who wanted to receive. When you get chance, ask them if they have seen Christ this year. They have some amazing tales to tell. Not the least of which is the way God’s spirit is transforming THEM as they have seek to serve others!
God always shows up when we invite people to connect with the sacred spaces in their life! Is it possible God is calling you to share Jesus with people in some place other than your own church this lent?
New Faith Communities in Upper NY Conference 