Leave a Trace

 What are you known for today? What will you be known for in the future? Want do you want to be known for? There are some people whose lives are a lot like a campsite is supposed to be at the Boundary Waters. If you’ve ever been to the Boundary Waters you know that when you get all your stuff, there’s a video you have to watch that teaches you how to Leave No Trace. There are even a couple of signs like this one in the park that remind you of it. And the idea behind leave no trace is that everyone leaves the park the way they found it. They don’t take anything. They don’t leave anything. And yet, some people’s lives are that way too. They aren’t really remembered at all. No trace is left. Other people are remembered, but they’re probably more remembered like this (trashed campsite). That’s a mess, isn’t it? But that is the legacy that some people leave. When Cassie and I lived in Colorado, I’ll never forget reading an obituary in the paper of an executive had died. The final words of the eulogy read: “He will not be missed.” Yikes, right? There are still others though too, who are remembered for their passion, their fight, their drive. I think of Register Cliff in Wyoming. Anyone ever been here before? This is a place where people traveling the Oregon Trail would carve their names into this rock. The rock is filled with names and dates like this one. And while we may not know their stories, theirs names stand as a testament to their sacrifice, adventure, and drive. I’ll ask again: What about you? What are you known for today? What do you hope to be known for in the future? You may have a variety of answers to those questions, but if you consider yourself a believer in Jesus today, is he part of your answer? During this series we’ve been talking about what it looks like—in concrete ways—to follow Jesus after you believe. Around here we call it “Walking the Discipleship Path.” We took the truths from Scripture and connected them to four categories of discipleship. A disciple of Jesus Worships, that is gathers together in regular worship and prays personally and regularly. A disciple of Jesus Grows, that is gathers with other believers for relationship, community, and support, and reads Scripture personally and regularly. A disciple of Jesus Serves, that is serves with other disciples and regularly reflects a life of serving like Jesus everywhere they go. But now we get to the last piece: Reach. And this is what Reach is: First, it’s preparing and equipping ourselves to live like and talk about Jesus. And second, it’s going and doing it! Loving like Jesus. Talking about Jesus. Starting with his first disciples, Jesus himself gave this call. He told them: “You will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” If you are a disciple of Jesus you are part of that call to the ends of the earth. It’s the opposite of the Boundary Waters. Not to leave no trace, but to leave a trace of Jesus everywhere we go. It’s a call for us to embrace, that when we think about what we’re known for today, what we will be known for in the future, that Jesus wouldn’t just be part of the answer to those questions, but the primary piece of the answer. On this All Saints Day weekend we remember those who have gone before us as disciple of Jesus. And in so many of their lives, Jesus stood out. I was reading back through some church history documents a couple weeks ago and was amazed at the trace of Jesus those saints left. Constantly early Christian were known for the way they prayed, the way they held to the truth no matter what they faced, the way they walked together, the way they radically loved. In the fourth century the Roman Emperor Julian angrily wrote about the growth of the Jesus movement to a friend. He said, “[Christianity] has been specially advanced through the loving service rendered to strangers, and through their care for the burial of the dead… [They] care not only for their own poor but for ours as well.” Talk about leaving a trace! But what about you and me? What does that look like for us? That’s exactly what Paul is talking about in that reading you heard a moment ago. He tells us exactly how to get there. Paul starts, “Clothe yourselves…” Right away that’s saying something. To clothe yourself means this is a daily thing. To clothe yourself means it’s not optional. You don’t leave your house without your clothes and Paul says this is no different. And then there’s the list. Paul has a myriad of things: mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, making allowance for faults, forgiving, loving. That’s a lot of layers! That’s like I’m going out in -50 type of clothing. And there’s one word that I think really sticks out and encompasses the rest: It’s kindness. Kindness is about approaching someone on their strengths and weaknesses instead of your strengths. I can pick up a baseball and I can pick up a contact lens, but if I pick up a contact lens like a pick up a baseball, I’ll destroy it. And it’s the same thing in our interactions with each other. Kindness like Paul is talking about says, “I’m not better than you but let’s walk together.” Kindness says, “Can I share part of your burden?” Kindness says, “You matter.” Kindness says, “I’m willing to make sacrifices for you.” Kindness doesn’t mean that there’s no tough conversations; it doesn’t mean that truth doesn’t matter, it means that even the hardest circumstances still get handled with love and care. Kindness is focused on the person next to you. Paul says, you want to leave a trace of Jesus? Be kind. And that’s absolutely true. Kindness like that is incredibly rare. It’s all too common to leave kindness in the closet when we get out of bed in the morning. It’s something so many of us struggle with. Back in 2011 Pew Research did a study of teens and their social media use. 90% of them said they have had to ignore mean behavior they faced online. 80% said they stepped in for someone else who facing meanness and cruelty. And that’s just one small section of the population. Kindness is lacking all over. And it’s not like we don’t know that being kind is good. We know how good it feels to be treated kindly or to be kind to someone else. Science shows that people who are kind have more energy, have less pain, are less stressed, have lower blood pressure and anxiety and are simply happier people. God made us to be kind. But we still fall short. Because if we don’t have a source that motivates our kindness outside of us, sooner or later we’ll abandon it all together. And we do. I don’t know about you, but it’s all too easy to focus on me. What I need. What I think. What I have to do. And if someone attacks something I value, think, or believe that kindness can dissipate. Kindness is attached to our identity. If our identity is rooted only in ourselves or rooted in something other than God, we’re much more likely to leave traces like this than traces of Jesus. And Paul presses into that. His words invite us to reflect. What’s coming out of you these days? Is it kindness? Is it viciousness? Jesus declared that in the life of a disciple who followed him: “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” Is that what’s coming out of you? Living water of God? Or is gross water? Maybe you’d say you’re in the middle somewhere. But when we look at what’s coming out in our lives there’s really only three things we can do. We do nothing. Ignore it. We can run from it. Or we can fall on our knees before Jesus. And take him at his invitation. Jesus says, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink!” It’s an invitation to run back to the good news of what he’s done for you and for me. It’s an invitation to run to him with honesty about the condition of hearts. Because he knows it all already and he still loves us fully and completely. We can come before Jesus and say, “God, there’s a mess coming out of my life right now.” Or, “God, I feel like I’m dry. Living water is missing.” And that is the epicenter. That’s where true Reach begins. It begins with looking at Jesus. I want to invite you to do that today whether you consider yourself a believer or not. What do you see when you see Jesus? Paul lists a bunch of things. Hear what he says again: “God chose you to be the holy people he loves.” God willingly chose you as his own. Regardless of who you’ve been. Regardless of what’s coming out of your life today. Paul continues: “The Lord forgave you.” Any sin, any brokenness, any faults or failures. You are forgiven by Jesus. He took your sins upon himself when he went to the cross. Your debt has been paid. Finally Paul says, “Let the peace that comes from Christ rule your hearts.” That peace comes from knowing that Jesus is in control, that Jesus has chosen and forgiven you, that Jesus is with you and promises to give you living water. So often, we think that we gain God’s favor by doing the right things and saying the right stuff. But Paul flips it on its head. God meets you. God chooses you. God forgives you. And Reaching then, happens when you say yes to the promises of God and embrace them in your life. That is the identity that leads to clothing ourselves like Paul takes about. God has made us his own. And now we get to represent the loving God of the universe to the rest of the world. No wonder Paul says, “Whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.” Jesus invites and calls you to leave a trace of him. And so with that in mind this week I want to invite you to embrace two things: First, a little kindness goes a long way. In our world, there are opportunities to be unkind all over the place. But we follow Jesus. Practice being kind like Jesus. It will make an impact. It will leave a trace of Jesus. And second, open your mouth. You have a story to tell of what Jesus has done in your life. It’s not a sermon. It’s not a term paper. It can be an invitation or an ongoing conversation, but you have a personal story of what God has done in your life. Speak up. If you’re not sure where to start or it seems way outside of your comfort zone, this coming Saturday and Sunday we’re having a Telling Your Story seminar. You can register for it at the Connection Center. It’s a great way to step into this. Because ultimately—think about it: What are you known for today? What will you be remembered for in the future? If we are disciples of Jesus, let’s be known for living and showing and talking about Jesus. Amen.