Seek/Grow/Reach/Serve
Matthew 10:5-8 (The Message)
5-8 Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:
“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously."
Riding the bicycle around town opens the door for conversations and relationships I would not have otherwise had. One morning this summer, I pedaled into the church parking lot to discover a man sitting on one of the concrete benches underneath the trees. With ragged clothing and a defeated disposition, the man stared off into nowhere and slumped forward so far I thought he may lose his balance at any second and fall headfirst into the dirt and asphalt. While I may have been tempted to drive-by in a vehicle, guiding my bike by him and ignoring him was impossible. So I spoke. And I spoke not as summer-assistant-intern pastor and he a homeless beggar; not as a white man trying to make up for past discrimination against the black population; not as an arrogant religious prick attempting to remove a blemish on the church politely. Simply as one human being to another. As one of GOD’s children to another. Sometimes it's just that easy to reach out. We speak. Say hello. Say Good Morning. Speaking is an easy form of reaching.
His half-hearted response failed to deter me. The Spirit whispered to my heart that this man was sent so I could serve. (This is exactly what I'd prayed for when John asked me to help at the church for the summer). With the addictive joy that comes with serving others, I hustled into the church and made coffee. Then I carried a cup outside to him which sparked a conversation, which sparked a relationship. Over the course of the following month, he came into the church and rested on the couches to escape the heat, helped me keep the outside of the church building tidy, and we swapped stories. In the process, I was reminded of what serving GOD’s way is all about. It's more than just telling someone “I’m praying for you.” It's more than throwing change in a bucket. It's more than flailing a hand up to wave at someone hurting. Many times this is our way of shrugging off real service. The reality, however, is serving others means getting dirty. Sometimes physically; sometimes spiritually. Sometimes both. Entering into relationships with people with real pain. Helping them out with Biblical advice, listening as they pour out their hearts, hugging their neck, investing in them (whether you get burned or not) and then walking through the struggle with them. Living LifeTogether. (pun intended). That’s serving.
Now when you think of the Refuge vision statement, maybe you’ll knock the dust off the old bicycle, hop on it, and live it before the world.
