I have been enjoying a book recently called Conspiracy of Kindness by Steve Sjogren. It is about serving others in order to show the love of God. Here is an excerpt that I want to share with you.
“Every Saturday morning at ten is a special time at our church, the time when groups go out into the community to serve in practical ways. Some take food and clothing to the poor, others do various servant evangelism projects. One Saturday I was with a team that was washing the windows of businesses in downtown Cincinnati, including retail stores, restaurants, and even an occasional bar.”
“On this particular Saturday, my last stop was Pinkie’s Bar. It was about noon and the place was full of customers, with Waylon Jennings ‘wayling’ on the corner jukebox. This was no classy place – beer was served in the can. I asked the woman tending bar if I could wash their front windows as a simple expression of God’s love. With little reaction she said, ‘Whatever turns you on.’
“As I began to clean the windows with a teammate, a group of four customers called me over to the bar. ‘We heard what you said to the bartender about doing this to show God’s love. We want to know what kind of church would do something like this.’
“I spent several minutes telling them about our church. Then a woman with tears brimming in her eyes asked, ‘Do you think people like us would fit into a church like yours?’
“Recalling this story serves as a wonderful progress check for me. Several years ago I probably would have instantly answered, ‘Yes, of course!’ But the disdain in my voice would have caused her to question whether she was really invited. My heart would have said, ‘We’re Christians. Don’t you know that’s what Christians do? We love people!’ If she had come, however, she would have met people who wouldn’t have necessarily welcomed her into their hearts. . . God has since shown me a different kind of love, a fertile love that reaches out toward everyone. For years I loved the lost in obedience to God. In recent years something has shifted in my heart. I feel I’ve grown. Now I don’t just love the lost, I like them too.”
I like this story and I have been moved by this book. First of all this story exemplifies what we have been talking about at the church for a couple of years now. It exemplifies the willingness to take a chance and share God’s love freely. It can happen simply by washing windows downtown, or washing toilets in local businesses or handing out free hot chocolate on a cold day, or free water or lemonade on a hot day.
I have also been moved by the stories in the book about how people respond to experiencing the love of God. It is life changing. It is what I have experienced in the past. It is what I long to continue to experience. It is what I long for members of our church to experience.
In the next couple of weeks, there will be many people who come to our church. It is my hope that we will find a way to welcome them, no matter who they are or what they look like. It is my hope that we will put our expressions of love for God into action by loving the people who come for our services of Holy Week, Easter, the Cantata (following Easter) and for the weeks after that.
It will continue to be my hope that every group of the church can be involved in one mission/outreach project that takes them to where real people are, so we can show the love of God in honest, practical ways.
I look forward to seeing you in worship this weekend.
In the hope Jesus offers us,
Rev. Scott