Today at WMB (Waterloo), Adam spoke about how sharing the gospel made sense within the context of a relationship with someone. He shared from his own journey in learning this and he shared from Acts 17, how Paul when he got to Athens was curious about what people where thinking and spent time in the synagogue and the market, getting to know especially the Epicureans and Stoics. Adam said that being present with people was really important.
This got me thinking in a few directions.
Jesus famously summed up the greatest commandment with two answers! He said the greatest commandment had two halves (or maybe they are the same thing) “Love God and love your neighbour”. He said this early on in his public life. One of the last things he said in his time on earth was “go and tell everyone the good news”. Jesus left pretty quickly thereafter, so there wasn’t a lot of time to ask questions. He seemed to know that and seemed to say a “helper” would come and answer questions. I got wondering … would Jesus still have said the greatest commandment is “Love God and love your neighbour”? I suspect so. So it seemed to me that Adam’s “being present”, getting to know an individual and enter into their story was being really intentional about “loving his neighbour”. And if you love someone, then sharing the good news about how God is working in you and filling your heart with love for others is just cool. Turn it around (telling people abstract good news without entering in and loving) seems to me much less what Jesus had in mind.
I find the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman fascinating. He just starts talking to this woman (John 4). In verse 19 the mood shifts when the woman realizes Jesus actually knows and understands her (“you’re right, you don’t have a husband ….). Jesus could take the shortcut in knowing and loving someone, we need to do it the slow way.
In a spooky way, Google also wants to know me and have a relationship with me. Google, and many others, have astonishingly clever ways of knowing what I like, what I am likely to buy and how I am likely to vote. But Google’s purpose is to make money from me, not to love me and celebrate my being image of God. I suspect Adam was interested and loved the people he got to know for their own sake and because they were images of God. He wasn’t looking to score points or make money, but rather was satisfying that ache in his heart for people created by God. I suspect Adam would continue to be interested and love a person he knows even if they choose not to follow Jesus.
I have a friend who told me his calling is hockey. He’s part of a rec league and loves the guys on his team. He says there’s a few other Christians on his team and they either don’t participate in the after game social or leave after the first beer. He says that real relationship building and loving happens after that. Its after the first part of the social that real life conversations and expressions of love happen. He had stories of “joining in what the Spirit was already doing”.
People are a pain and loving them is a lot of bother – there’s a lot of me that wants to sit home and tend roses (or whatever). But people are also magical images of God. They are often fascinating and spark my curiosity. And love is a funny thing – the more its spread, the more there is to go around.
The Thursday After 