Safer in the Shaker

Prayer

We’re starting a new sermon series today, one we call “Out of the Saltshaker”

Our goal is to discover what it looks like to engage in evangelism in everyday life.

So, immediately, here’s problem with that goal, or at least difficulty we have with evangelism, the great dilemma.

Most of us think that it’s a good idea, that the Gospel really is good news, and ought to be shared with people, so they can come to know Jesus Christ and the abundant life he came to give us.

And it’s clearly something Jesus told us that we are to do. It’s primary purpose of the church.

You shall be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth

BUT, we’re not very good about doing it. In fact, let’s be honest, we’re pretty terrible at it.

And not just our church, but churches all around. Most Christians.

We’re intimidated by idea of it. Don’t even know where to start. We assume other folks will be doing it (it’s not our gift).

We’ve seen bad examples of other Christians sharing their faith (pressure tactics, or it’s all “hellfire and brimstone”, it comes off as being judgmental.

And we don’t want to be associated with that - so we often end up doing very little, or none at all.

We’re afraid people will think we’re weird or pushy…it makes others uncomfortable - it makes us comfortable.

There is an actual club for people like us - I kid you not. It’s the CFJ. Cowards for Jesus.

A group of Christian who desperately want to be brave for Jesus but are, quote, more like Woody Allen than Mel Gibson.

Let me be honest here, count me in. I know fear. I know the guilt. And I’m pastor. I should be leading the effort.

So we’ve got all that going on - we’re afraid, makes us uncomfortable - then we feel guilty for not doing it. What do we do?

We stay in saltshaker. Jesus said we are salt of the earth. He wants us to bring flavor, to help preserve, to bring life.

But it’s safer in the shaker.

So, cowards though we may be, is there a way we can begin to actually do what Jesus called us to do? That we could actually share our faith in Jesus in way that’s not off-putting or awkward or judgmental? And that we could actually do it - you and I, just ordinary folks?

I genuinely believe so. And I hope you’ve come with a willingness this morning to learn how you can begin to get out of the saltshaker. Jesus seemed to be pretty good at it, so let’s see what he might teach us.

God - Luke 15:1-2

The context of these stories is so essential - it explains why Jesus tells these two parables

Begin by learning that the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around because they wanted to listen to Jesus

Now, we might not particularly like paying taxes, but generally we don’t consider folks who work for the WV State Department or even IRS as the scum of the earth (at least I hope we don’t).

But in those days, they did. Because they were collaborators with Romans, and they would cheat people. They were despised. They were prime example of who not to be - why the general description is always, tax collectors and sinners.

Today, we might say, racists and sinners. Or child abusers and sinners. Someone who scams elderly and sinners. People who don’t like chocolate - and sinners.

These are the type of people who are gathering around Jesus. And the Pharisees, teachers of law, these respected religious leaders, can’t believe it.

Muttering amongst themselves…can you believe it! Look at those people! He has to know what kind of people they are…and he’s just welcoming them.

Not just welcoming them, but willing to eat with them. Sharing a meal together, just like it is today, was act of friendship.

They can’t figure out why - if Jesus this is great and wise Rabbi, teacher of God’s law - why all these people would be so attracted to him - and even worse - why Jesus would receive them so willingly.

You see, for them, world was divided into good and bad, righteous and unrighteous.

I was watching a bit of a political debate between two political commentators, subject of racism came up, in particular, the riots that broke out in Charlottesville, VA in 2017. There were a number of things going on at that event, including question of statues honoring Confederate leaders, but event was gathering of white supremacist groups.

Moderator asked one of the debaters if he was willing to condemn all those white supremacists as bad people.

All those folks yelling anti-semitic slurs - will you say, here and now, yes or no, are they are evil people?

That’s mindset of these religious leaders there. These are bad people. You shouldn’t have anything to do with them.

Jesus doesn’t try to defend himself. He doesn’t rationalize why he’s doing what he’s doing. Doesn’t launch a counter-attack.

Jesus just starts telling stories, three of them. I want to share the first two…Luke 15:3-10

It’s important to remember that Jesus is telling these stories as a response to Pharisees and teachers of law, who can’t believe that he would befriend such despicable people.

What we see in these stories is Jesus revealing his heart about why he welcomes these people so freely and so fully - why he’s willing to sit down and have lunch together with them.

And it’s key for us to see exactly what’s going on if we’re going to become kind of people who would be willing to share our faith with others. To engage in everyday evangelism. To get out of the saltshaker.

Here’s main idea I want to share with you today - more we get to know Jesus, discover his heart, what is precious to him will become precious to us as well. More we get Jesus, get to know Jesus, more we will treasure what he treasures.

As Jesus, and his love and goodness and grace flavors our lives more and more, most natural response will be to want to flavor lives of others - to get out of the saltshaker.

What I want you to see in these stories is how precious these people are to Jesus.

Both of these stories are about those that have become lost - who’ve gone missing. First story, a shepherd loses one of his 99 sheep. In second a woman who has ten silver coins loses one of them.

I’ve lost a lot of things throughout my life (as I bet you have), and my reaction to losing them has varied greatly.

I often joke that I’m a good person to borrow a book from because I invariably forget who I loan books out to - and if they don’t remember to return them, I’ve lost that book. The fact that I don’t remember - and typically don’t miss the book - shows how little it matters to me.

But if my glasses go missing. Or my cell phone. I’m looking all over. I rely on those daily.

Or how much effort families will go to if a pet goes missing.

Or, even worse, a child. If your child went missing, you’d be in contact with everyone you know. Contact the authorities. You’d search and search and search. And you’d never stop missing what was so precious to you.

No staying in the saltshaker - you’d go!

This is what these parables are pointing to.

Shepherd is willing to leave his other 99 sheep because he is missing just the one.

If he was just a hired hand, he might say, not worth it. I’ll just say a bear got it. A really big bear. He can take it out of my paycheck.

But if it’s your sheep. You go look. Out into open country. And you keep looking until you find that sheep.

Because you know if you don’t, something terrible is going to happen to that sheep. It’ll never survive on its own. That sheep needs you - and you don’t want anything bad happening to it. It’s precious to you.

So you’d make effort. You’d spend time. You’d go looking.

Same thing with woman and her silver coin. That’s one/tenth of her wealth. She needs that money. She’s going to look until she finds that coin because it is precious to her.

And reaction to finding what was missing in both cases is the same. Celebrate! Rejoice!

It’s not that shepherd just goes home with big smile on his face, he wants others to share in his joy. Same thing with woman.

They call friends and neighbors - come on over, it’s party time - we’re celebrating!

Because that’s what we do when something good and important happens in your lives. You want to others to share in that joy with you.

We’ve got two big graduations coming up, family is coming in town, so we can rejoice together.

Jesus doesn’t want the religious leaders muttering and sulking over what’s happening - he wants them to rejoice with him.

Jesus wants them to see it: “Don’t you see, this is amazing what’s happening here. This is fantastic stuff. This is type of stuff that all of heaven rejoices over. This is what gets angels dancing in the streets. Yes!!!

And you’re missing it because you try to divide world into the good and bad. The deserving and the undeserving.

But, as Alexander Solzhenitsyn says, the dividing line between good and evil runs through the human heart.

The dividing line is not betwen good and bad people, the dividing line runs between those who recognize that all of us are mix of good and bad. Division is between those who recognize that, repent and surrender themselves to God and his kingdom…and those who don’t.

There’s nothing - nothing - that Jesus and whole kingdom of heaven rejoices over more than when one person - any person, no matter how despicable or decently they’ve lived their lives, turns to him.

Recognizes their sin. Their brokenness. I need you, Jesus. Forgive me.

Be the leader of my life. I want the abundant life I believe you can give me.

Jesus rejoices because people - all people - are precious to him.

They’ve gone missing and he longs for them to be back with him.

Good Shepherd longs for his sheep to be back under his good and perfect care…because he knows what will happen to them if they stay missing. And he wants good for them.

Why he came. Why he made the effort to come be here - to come looking.

More we discover the heart of Jesus, more he becomes precious to us, more what he treasures will become precious to us as well.

Because isn’t that how it always works? When you love someone, what’s important to them becomes important to you.

Your child or grandchild gets involved in activity - you immediately become more interested in that. It matters to you. There are thousands of high school girls’ soccer teams around the nation. Because there was only one I cared about.

Reverse is true, too. What matters to us matters to Jesus because we matter to Jesus. Why we can bring all of our lives before him in prayer Because he cares for us.

Isn’t that exactly what’s at the heart of these parables? That each of us is precious to Jesus? That when we’re missing, he is seeking after us - because he longs for us to be back with him?

That, of course, is true not just simply about us, but for every single person we come across, no matter how “bad” they seem to be.

Challenge - Let me invite you to consider some ways that you can take the first steps to get out of the saltshaker.

Our goal here is to discover the heart of Jesus - to see people as he sees them. As Jesus becomes more precious to us, what he treasures will become precious to us as well. The same people that are so precious to Jesus, “the missing,” would become precious to us.

This week, as a spiritual discipline, be attentive to how you look at others. As you walk in your neighborhood or at school. Or you’re out shopping, running errands. Maybe you’re watching news story or reading an article. What are first thoughts that run through your head about the people you see or are hearing about?

Are they more like Pharisees and teachers of the law? Are we judging people based on their appearance? Stereotypes? Are we making those quick evaluations of them? Is it based on whether I like them or not? Or if they agree with what I believe or not.

If they are, use that realization as an opportunity to offer a short prayer of confession and to ask for Jesus help.

Lord, forgive me for judging others. Forgive me for my heart of condemnation because I don’t think they are good. Give me your eyes, your heart, to see these people as those who are precious to you - so precious that you would lay down your life for them.

Here’s another thought. Spend some time in the Gospels this week. Pick one of Gospels and read a story each day, story of an encounter Jesus has with someone (or watch several episodes of The Chosen with same mindset). As you read (or watch), pay attention to how Jesus acts towards people he encounters. What does he say to them? Can you imagine tone with which he speaks? How do you think they feel being around him? Why - what is Jesus doing that might make them feel that way?

And as you see Jesus and his heart for others, spend a few minutes afterwards thanking Jesus for who he is and praying that God would give you same heart.

Challenge you to choose one of those two things to put into practice this week, so that together, people all around us that are so precious to Jesus, the missing, would be precious to us as well.

Let me finish with this...

It’s no secret we’re a small church. Kinda barely hanging on. We’ve been on decline.

The only way for us to stop that decline, turn it around and begin to grow is to take this seriously.

Jesus has given us a clear command to “go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded.”

But I don’t want this to be done out of fear that our church will fade away or because we feel guilty about it.

Honestly, I don’t think that’s going to be motivational enough to get us out of our saltshakers.

This is far bigger and it’s far better than that.

This is about Kingdom of God. This is about sharing in joy of the Kingdom of God.

Remember, we miss those things that matter to us. That have become precious to us.

When you find something you’ve been missing dearly, you celebrate it. You’re excited.

When we got to see Wendy’s parents again the other week, those hugs were tighter and longer than normal. There was a lot of joy because we’d been missing each other due to Covid.

Jesus wants us to share in that joy. His utter delight when people he’s been missing have made their way back to him - who’ve discovered how wonderfully gracious he is. Who’ve been blown away by the fact that they could actually be forgiven for every terrible thing they’ve done. When they realize how freeing it is to be able to let go of all their anger and bitterness and pain and dwell in his love.

And we get to be a part of that. We get to share in the looking for those lost.

Best part would be to share in the joy of them being found. Joy that is rich enough to set all of heaven rejoicing, to get those angels moving!

Over next four weeks we’re going to dive into how we can make that part of our ordinary, every day lives, doing just every day things.

But let’s just start here, discovering the heart of Jesus, so that what is so precious to him will become precious to us as well.