Willing to Risk

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 WILLING TO RISK

Life is risky. In fact, if you are one who is determined to avoid all risks, never ride in a car. I read where 20 % of all fatal accidents involve motor vehicles. Do not stay at home either; 17 percent of all accidents occur in the home. Do not walk on the street or sidewalk; 14 percent of all accidents occur to pedestrians. And do not travel by air, rail or water; 16 percent of all accidents happen on one of those three. However, I do have some good news, only .001% of all fatal accidents happen during worship services. One of the safest places for you to be is in church. Most of us are not going to limit our life experience based on these risky statistics. We all know that living abundantly involves risk taking.

There was an old farmer who sat on the steps of his tumble-down shack, passing the time of day. A stranger stopped and asked if he might have a cup of water. The farmer said, “certainly,” and drew some cool water from the well. Wanting to strike up a conversation, the stranger asked, "How is your cotton coming along in this weather?"

"Ain't got none", replied the farmer. "Oh, really?” I thought all the farmers in these parts raised cotton.” “Not me,” said the farmer. Didn't you plant any?" asked the frowning stranger. "Nope," said the farmer, "I was afraid the weevils would get it, so decided not to plant any this year." "Well," asked the newcomer, "how is your corn?" "Didn't plant any of that either," replied the man, "fraid there warn 't going to be enough rain." "Really, what did you plant?' asked the puzzled stranger. "Nothing," said the farmer, nothing at all. "I jest played it safe!!!"

As you can tell this morning, our gospel lesson for the day has to do with proclaiming the good news of Jesus to the people around us in this world. Yes, it’s risky business. The temptation is to claim the right to remain silent when it comes to matters of faith. It’s tempting to be like the farmer in the story, who just played it safe, who wasn't willing to risk, so he had no crop, he had no harvest.

Many of God’s people are in that same boat when it comes to sharing our Christian faith with others, hesitant to take the risk. Many are not willing to plant the seed. There is the fear of what others might think. Some are afraid that they don’t know enough to talk with another about matters of faith. Some just don’t see it as their responsibility. Faith is seen as a personal and private matter between God and me; not something to be shared.

The gospel text for today makes it clear. Our Lord wants to get the word out. We hear how Jesus sends out 70 people to proclaim the good news of the gospel. Notice that he doesn't say it is going to be easy. He tells the seventy that they will be like lambs in the midst of wolves. Some people will accept them and their message, but others others will reject them and the message they bring. Either way, regardless of the risks, these witnesses are under orders to keep on keeping on, planting the seed, telling the story, sharing the faith.

Or as one theologian put it, "Evangelism is simply one beggar telling another beggar where to find food." We are all sinners and need the help of Jesus, but at the same time Jesus is counting on us to tell others how we have been changed and affected by His grace in our lives. He wants us to be like the ants in another little story I came across.

Some people were about to have a picnic one afternoon when an ant showed up; just one little ant. There it was crawling around on top of the table. It checked out the plates and the silverware, and the napkins. But…there was no food on the dishes yet. So, finding nothing to eat in those places, the ant just kept scouting around up there on the picnic table. Finally, it found a sugar bowl, a sugar bowl with no lid on it. After sampling some of it, that ant grabbed on to a tiny piece, a single crystal of sugar, and away it went; down the table leg, down to the ground, through the grass where it disappeared from sight. Not long afterwards, that ant came back with several of its relatives. They climbed up the leg of the table, marched across the table top, up and into the sugar bowl. After they had eaten their fill of sugar, each of them made the trip back down the table leg, across the lawn, with a grain of sugar to show to all the rest back home. Before long that sugar bowl was teeming with ants, hundreds upon hundreds of them, partaking of the same sweet food."

Jesus wants us to be like that first ant and like the others who eventually led the way to something good. After we have experienced the love of Christ in our lives, he wants us to spread the good news, to let others in on the joy, the peace, the hope we have in Christ Are you willing, as Luther says, "to be a little Christ” to someone, somewhere? Are you willing to take the risk of being a friend to someone who really needs a friend? And you never know where such a thing could lead, the demands of time and attention and maybe more. Yet, you could be at least part of the answer to someone’s prayer. Some of you have done that. Some are doing it now through some form of ministry or another, reaching out in the name of Christ. And it takes someone who is willing to risk. Not like the farmer I told you about who was afraid to plant anything for fear it would not grow. No, we need to risk, to get beside someone and help them carry their burden, to give a measure of God's grace in their lives.

Maybe you know this piece – I don’t know who wrote it, but it goes like this:.

To reach out to another is to risk involvement.

To expose feelings is to risk showing your true self.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To live is to risk dying.

To hope is to risk despair,

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken,

because the greatest risk in life is to risk nothing.

The person who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing.

Only the person who risks is truly free.

The story of Jesus is the story of one who risked everything out of love for us…for he knows this is what it means to love. Are we willing to risk our all for him? Love is risky. Of course, some will risk loving, and some will not. Our calling is to trust God. Share our love and abilities. Look outward to a world in need, and do what we can. I don’t believe that God minds when we try to do good and fail. I really…really don’t. I think that God is sad when we don’t even try at all. What are you willing to risk for Jesus today? It’s something to think about. Amen.