Healing Misconceptions, by Tom Letts

Meeting your Neighbors

So, from the "there are two kinds of people 'church people' and 'not church people'" post earlier in the week (please read it now if you missed it) comes the follow-up: How do we express the beauty, power and reality of the encounter we have had with Christ to a largely ignorant, apathetic and hostile neighborhood?
I'm going to start with two observations and then ask each of us to practice them next week. Ready? In Luke chapter 10, Jesus sends out 72 followers in twos into communities that were ignorant, apathetic or hostile toward this new community of faith. He sends them: to live among the residents (even in their homes), to teach and heal, and to proclaim the blessing of 'peace' upon the town.
1st observation: Jesus sends them 2-by-2. Say what you like but I believe that the reason for this was so that the people of these villages could see the unique quality of the relationship between the 'two.' I used to tell our volunteer youth staff, 'The students will watch how you love each other and then how that love overflows onto them. This is your testimony, to love each other in ways they don't see at home or school.'
2nd observation: Jesus sends them to offer the blessing of peace to a world that knew no peace. He sent them to teach and heal. But he sent them to do this all in real relationship to the people of the villages, 'Stay in one home, do not move about. Eat whatever they offer.'
So that's it. Jesus' followers faced a lot of what we face. Jesus' response? Go out in twos and build relationships based on offering blessing, healing and teaching.
On Sunday the 15th we are going to practice this very thing. This will be the third time we meet for 30 minutes of worship (10:30-11:00) and then go out 'in twos' (groups of two or more) to serve in our community.
Sign up this week for a ministry or talk to a friend or two and figure out something on your own. Another option would be to call a 'not church person' friend and take them out to lunch (or a walk, or...) with some of your coolest 'church' friends. That's all.
Feel free to contact me at any time tletts@trinityalaska.org I'll post comments from there in the next blog if you like.

Peace, tl