Faith On Every Corner_Issue 2_Final_91617

Enter The Mission Field
Last night, Karen and I were streaming a movie that
provoked me into some serious thinking. The film
would fall under the genre of Faith or Christian.
It was a good movie that flowed well, with a good
message, even with a low production quality. We
tend to value these movies for their message more
than theatrics. In this case, I was more affected by
a sub plot than the main story line. Let me explain.
The primary theme was “What would Jesus do?”
The story focuses around a pastor of a small church
who is impacted by a homeless man who holds the
congregation to task because of the way he was
treated by the community. The pastor calls for those
in the church to join him on a journey to examine
their daily choices, actions, and responses. What
did they think Jesus would do in the same situation?
There were only a few takers. I’ll stop here so I
don’t give the story away for those who will want to
see the movie.
The sub plot that really struck me had to do with the
concept of the church as we know it today.
We attend church, read the Bible, sing the hymns,
hear the sermons, but how do we practice our
Christianity? Is this what Jesus would do? Or
would he take the church outside to where the vast
numbers of people needing to hear His words are?
Sometimes, I think that the brick and mortar church
is mostly like-minded people gathering together to
hear each other’s tales of accomplishments,
involvements, participation, generally sanctimonious
lives, shake hands, pat each other on the back,
and return to their everyday lives. There might as
well be a checklist in the pews; Bible, check;
pray, check; attend church, check, and so on.
Unfortunately, that is where it ends for many of us.
It seems like preaching to the choir, as the saying
goes. We, the people, are the church. I have heard
it said that one reason people don’t go to church is
that there are Christians there. I believe that this is
not just a Christian thing either.
There are many people of all faiths who are lovingly
engaged in daily acts of kindness, service, aid,
and comfort to those who are in need. This can take
a multitude of forms. Volunteering at a small community
food bank or kitchen, joining a jail or prison
ministry, visiting the sick or elderly, helping build
a house for a deserving family, and taking meals to
the housebound are just a few ideas. This is one of
the ways the pastor in the movie called his flock to
participate in Christ like behavior. He suggests that
this is what Jesus called us to do, minister to each
other. This struck a note with me as I watched the
movie. People don’t just need to hear God’s message.
They also need to feel God’s love. Both need
to be delivered by us, the church, in person. Bible
verses can be memorized, recited and woven into
a condemning, judging, and unforgiving attitude.
We can also decide to spread the Word through our
actions. To paraphrase a saying I remember -
“People won’t care how much you know until they
know how much you care.”
We believe that churches with pastors and congregations
are important in our communities, families,
and personal lives. However, faithfulness cannot
stop inside those walls. At one of our past churches,
at each of the parking lot exits, was this message on
a sign: Now Entering the Mission Field. This is true,
we are taught in the church but it is up to us to put
what we have learned into action once we have left.
The church has fulfilled its purpose.
Karen and I started our online digital magazine,
Faith On Every Corner, with the intention of sharing
stories of everyday people making a difference in
their communities through acts of love, service,
and kindness. We pray that our readers will be
inspired to seek out new ways to be of faithful
service. If you know of an interesting story of faith
and service, please let us know. Stay tuned, God
isn’t finished yet.
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