By Kathryn Threadgill

8

Evangelism Sunday 2017

By Kathryn Threadgill

Introduction

It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now and always in my body … . Live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ … . For he has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well. (Philippians 1:20, 27, 29)

Between blessing backpacks to launch a new program year and preparing to celebrate World Communion Sunday, there is Evangelism Sunday. Maybe you were unaware of it, perhaps you avoid it like the plague, or maybe you have finagled it into an “Invite a Friend Sunday.” Nonetheless, each year this highly anticipated Sunday of evangelism pops up on the Presbyterian calendar. My thought: Isn’t every Sunday Evangelism Sunday? In fact, isn’t every day a day for evangelism? Are we passionately driven to boldly share the good news?

I get that even the word evangelism terrifies us. Today it is more acceptable to be fanatic about yoga pants or farm-to-table cuisine than about the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. I understand the things we have made evangelism: the committees we have formed, the good intentions of reaching out that make us feel good, the softened words of welcome and the swag bags we pass out. I know we fight sociocultural realities of scathing indictments when anything more than these efforts labels us “one of those Christians.” So how do we live out evangelism? How do we make evangelism our missional purpose, the core of our identity as we reflect Christ in the world? How do we live so that others might see that we are sinners forgiven and set free, deeply loved and daily being made new because we have a gracious Savior — and that Christ is their loving Savior too?

Those are the questions we must ask, because in truth, I am not familiar with a Savior who says to share the good news when it is convenient or when it is to like-minded and similar sorts of folks. I do not recall Christ saying to hoard this treasure and to cash in on it when it makes you feel good. I am not convinced we worship a God who delights in halfhearted participation and proclamation when social cues deem it appropriate. Perhaps the question is not “How do we?” but simply “How can we not?”

How can we not tell others of a God who heard the complaints of those starving in the wilderness and provided bread from the heavens? When so many today are still starving for something, still complaining, still wilderness-wandering, and still lacking basic necessities, how can we not tell them of the living God, who offered Christ to be the bread of life? How do we not offer them a taste of the gospel? Starvation is real and our mandate is clear.

Sara Miles was 46 years old before she wandered into the hospitality of a church and tasted the bread of heaven. This bread not only met her basic need and satisfied her hunger; this bread transformed her life and called her to make sure others were fed. In her book Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion she writes, “My new vocation didn’t turn out to be as simple as going to church on Sundays, folding my hands in the pews and declaring myself ‘saved.’ Nor did my volunteer church work mean talking kindly to poor folks and handing them the occasional sandwich from a sanctified distance. I had to trudge in the rain through housing projects, sit on the curb wiping the runny nose of a psychotic man … . I met thieves, child abusers, millionaires, day laborers, politicians, schizophrenics, gangsters, and bishops, all blown into my life through the restless power of a call to feed people, widening what I thought of as my ‘community.’”

Evangelism is not simply a Sunday to be marked on the church calendar; it is the wondrous gift of God, for the people of God, and what we do with it matters. It is the bread of life, and all who taste of it will never be hungry again. But we must feed at a hospitable table. I cannot tell you how to ritualize your Evangelism Sunday, though I will offer liturgical support, and I can pray. I pray that the Spirit leads us beyond an Evangelism Sunday and into a missional spirit of evangelism. I pray that all who are starving, in whatever form of hunger, might be fed. And I pray that we, the people of God, move beyond an evangelism program and into an identity that cannot help but live out and proclaim this good news of Jesus Christ.

One tip: If you are doing something wildly outside of social norms — something unexpected, something that causes others to ask, “Why are they doing this?” and causes people come to you for aid — then you are probably on the right track to living into the wondrous deeds God is calling the church to be a part of.

In anxious, divisive and fearful times, may we be the church that boldly proclaims and wildly offers to share the bread of heaven, until all taste and see that God is good. Happy Evangelism Sunday!

Biblical interpretation

Exodus 16:2–15

It is the 15th day of the second month since the people of Israel departed Egypt. Roughly 45 days into what will be 40 years of wilderness-wandering, the people are already complaining. After songs of praise for deliverance, after thanksgiving for all God has done, now the people are complaining because they are starving. It is easy to be distracted, to forget the praise of things God has done, when a person is starving. When a child or teen cannot learn in school because they are hungry, we provide them free or reduced-cost meals. Likewise, sometimes our evangelism takes on the missional task of feeding first, meeting the basic needs of others. Psalm 105 tells of all of the wonders and power by which God delivered and provided for the beloved children of Israel. Finding ways to respond to basic human needs was also at the heart of Jesus’ parables; it is why Christ led by example in telling his disciples, “You give them something to eat” when the multitude of witnesses were hungry. Proclamation of the gospel is about our words, but it begins with showing up, living differently, offering a taste of the love of Christ.

Of course, our eyes must be open to see the needs of others. We must have a willing spirit to truly hear their stories. This takes a heart centered on Christ, who calls us to boldly witness to the wondrous deeds of the Spirit. None of us does this perfectly all the time. In my own family, for instance, I recognize my resentful response in childhood to the compassionate outreach of my parents. Growing up in a family of 13 meant we traveled in a 15-passenger van. However, during the first part of every month our family van turned into a “breadmobile.” Mom and Dad would collect day-old, expired bread that could not be sold in stores, and throughout the day my siblings and I would ride between stacks of bread boxes, which our parents delivered, one run-down home at a time. Convinced that the rest of the world was sleeping in, I hated that this was how I had to spend my Saturday mornings. But I would watch my mom and dad get out of the van and wait patiently, one front door or patio at a time. And I would witness people of God, who were hungry, embrace my parents, or break out in tears, or smile with soulful joy, some even holding small infants in their arms. I quickly realized that basic needs are what bind human beings together, and together needs were being met; people who were hungry were being fed, and the gospel of Jesus Christ was being shared, one front door at a time.

The Lord spoke to Moses and said, “I have heard the complaining of the Israelites; say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall have your fill of bread; then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” (Exodus 16:11–12)

Matthew 20:1–16

The story of the day laborers in the vineyard teaches the kingdom reality that is Christ’s generosity. The landowner, hiring day laborers at different hours to gather the harvest, pays each the same amount at the day’s end. Naturally, this passage is frustrating and seems like a far-fetched ideal. A laborer who has been there all day should get paid more than a laborer who has been there only in the final hour. And a teacher should get paid more than a Kardashian, but the ways of this world do not always shine light on humanity’s proudest moments. Then what is Christ teaching in this passage?

When late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel delivered a tearful monologue about his newborn baby’s open-heart surgery and conveyed the necessity of health coverage for all babies born with pre-existing conditions, the world took notice. He managed to take a highly polarized issue and humanize it. He reminded a nation of the humanity that binds us all together, and people paid attention.

Christ’s generosity and grace, reflected in the story of the day laborers, is a call to pay attention to humanity. Day laborers were already the lowliest of workers. These people lived day-to-day for their daily bread; that’s why at 5 p.m. you would still find laborers standing around, hoping for even an hour of work. We do not know what led the day laborers to be hired in the order they were. We do not know the spirit in which they worked. Perhaps those who arrived in the final hour had been tending to the ill or lame, and arrived later for hire. Perhaps they worked with glad and generous hearts for that hour they could give in the field, and by doing so, perhaps they were giving all they had. We don’t know, and seldom do we stop to learn others’ stories. Likewise, in our churches, we fear an honest space where all our sins and grief are bared. We can easily think those who were there first or those who have been there the longest must clearly have earned more say, more power, more buy-in than those who arrived in the final hour.

Christ’s call to evangelism here is twofold: to see and to hear others in genuine relationship, and to exercise a generosity that is born out of the grace of Jesus Christ. When we humanize others, instead of seeing stereotypes and colors, instead of functioning in closed homogenous institutions, we reap a harvest far greater than we could imagine; and we more genuinely reflect the kingdom of God. Evangelism cannot be about what we do, or how we serve, or what we give to others who are “last” or “least.” Evangelism is when my humanity and your humanity meet, and the Spirit of God reflects the image of Christ, so that together we both are transformed into something greater than ourselves.

For pastors and worship leaders as you prepare:

1.  Read Scripture texts aloud. Refrain from note taking; just allow yourself to hear the text. Spend time prayerfully reflecting on what you hear. Reread the texts, making notes and highlighting as you go. Reflect on the Word: initial thoughts, questions, feelings, ideas.

2.  Spend a few moments individually reflecting on the following questions. Then talk with other worship leaders and/or pastors about your responses.

·  How do you understand evangelism?

·  How does your congregation understand and interpret evangelism corporately in life together?

·  Does your understanding and the congregation’s practices match up? Why or why not?

·  Reflect on your own personal story. When did the gospel become good news that grounded and claimed your life in Christ? Who shared that news with you?

·  In your life, who have been some of the most influential lights that pointed to Christ? How did they proclaim Christ to you?

·  How does your congregation share the good news with others? In the congregation? Outside the church?

·  How are people hungry and complaining in your ministry context?

·  What basic needs do people have in your community?

·  Who are the “day laborers,” the “least of these” or the marginalized in your context?

·  Who is missing in your congregation?

·  Can you think of a situation in which your congregation shined Christ’s light in a dark place?

·  Whether through social media, an email, or in meetings this week, ask members to tell you their thoughts on evangelism. What are they afraid of? What limits their spreading the good news?

·  How do you and your congregation move from a planned evangelism strategy to living out the good news as a part of your identity, a part intrinsic to your humanity? What do you believe it will take?

·  How does your congregation share their unique stories? How is humanity shared? What are the practices that allow this to happen?

·  What might God be stirring in you? How might God be calling you into mission?

3.  Review commentaries, and may the Spirit guide your worship to encounter the living God in experiences of wonder that transform hearts and minds forever.

Liturgical resources for Evangelism Sunday

Gathering

Prayer of the Day (prayed silently as worshipers gather)

God of good news, your wondrous works transform hearts, peoples and nations. Your love sets the gospel power free to redeem and restore creatures and creation. You call us to share in the mission of your love, to shine light on your saving truth, and to live into the identity of Christ, who claims us. Help us to worship in your Spirit’s power. Help us to bring our story to your sacred space. Help us to be fed on the bread of heaven, so that we leave full of your glory. For this we pray in the name of Christ Jesus. Amen.

Prelude

Call to Worship

Leader: The Lord be with you.

People: And also with you.