Are We Listening" A Modern Day Parable
Are we Listening? A Modern Parable
The Church was on a mission, and they were excited following the launch of several new projects. One Saturday morning they decided to go into their community to tell people about what they were offering. Peter couldn’t wait to share the great news about his church and so he made sure that he was first out of the door. As he walked along, he noticed a young woman trying to carry some bags full of toys.
“Hello” he said. “I’m Peter from your local Christian church and we’re out and about today to tell everyone about the projects we are running to bless the community.” ‘I’m jus…’ said the woman but Peter cut in ‘you need to come to our new toddler group, it has the latest in toys and play equipment, and we’ve even turned our baptistery into a giant ball pool. “What did you say? … You couldn’t come to that …. Okay, you probably have older children and so you need to bring them to our summertime activities. We are offering a holiday club with free lunches so you can be free from your little horrors for a few hours each day.” Peter then thrust some leaflets into the woman’s hand and sped feeling very pleased with himself at having shared the Gospel.
Mary wasn’t as keen as Peter, but she knew that it was important to talk about her faith with people outside of the church. Mary was the last out the door and as she walked along, she met a lady clinging to some bags full of toys and some church leaflets as she cried. Mary was supposed to be talking about church projects but instead she decided to try, “Are you okay?”
Later that day, Peter was walking back to the church to get more leaflets when he noticed Mary coming out of the coffee shop with the young woman. Peter heard Mary say, “nice to meet you Karen” before seeing Karen hug Mary tightly as she said, “thanks for listening, it was just what I needed.”
As Peter and Mary walked back to the church together Mary told him that Karen was on her way home from the contact center where she had gone to meet her children who had been removed by social services. Tragically several buses hadn’t arrived (apparently the drivers were on strike) and so Karen had missed her appointment and she was on her way home carrying the toys that she had carefully selected for her children so that they could have something familiar with them in their foster home
Karen accepted that she had made bad choices in the past, but she was also trying so hard to turn her life around, but she felt like it all just kept going wrong. All that changed though as Karen got to know Mary and she even began to help at the church lunch club. The food hygiene certificate was her first ever qualification and she cried when Mary gave it to her. Her experience at the lunch club even gave her the confidence to apply for a catering course in the local college. Whenever she sees Peter, she tells him that she is hoping and praying for a day when she can bring her children to the church holiday club.
We may not have all the resources that we would like but we are all able to listen.
Things To Consider:
People are more important than programs. How do we keep this important emphasis central in our outreach programs and strategies?
Do our church programs help or hinder us from building relationships with people? Do we see ourselves just as service providers or as people who will offer time, care and friendship? Would we be more missional if we gave up all of our outreach activities and spent the time befriending people instead?
+++
While we at Spirit and Truth do not have very many outreach programs, the message in this modern-day parable is strikingly true! People are more important than programs. When Jesus tells the parable about Judgment Day, His focus is on how we treated people! How we loved them in tangible ways.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ Matthew 25:31-40
Have you ever stopped to think about the way Jesus interacted with people? Many of you have heard me say this before! Jesus met people where they were at! He accepted them for who they were, loved them, and blessed them. He forgave them and then sent them on their way, knowing that God loves them.
Never once did Jesus tell people to go to Synagogue, or follow the rules, or go do this or that to get their life straighten out. Jesus simply loved them into the Kingdom of God and then trusted His Spirit to continue to work in their lives.
God does change lives! But He does it though love and not by following the rules.
May God bless us to be a true reflection of His heart as we interact with people and share who we are as the Children of God with the people of this world.
Have a blessed week!
Pastor Russ
The Church was on a mission, and they were excited following the launch of several new projects. One Saturday morning they decided to go into their community to tell people about what they were offering. Peter couldn’t wait to share the great news about his church and so he made sure that he was first out of the door. As he walked along, he noticed a young woman trying to carry some bags full of toys.
“Hello” he said. “I’m Peter from your local Christian church and we’re out and about today to tell everyone about the projects we are running to bless the community.” ‘I’m jus…’ said the woman but Peter cut in ‘you need to come to our new toddler group, it has the latest in toys and play equipment, and we’ve even turned our baptistery into a giant ball pool. “What did you say? … You couldn’t come to that …. Okay, you probably have older children and so you need to bring them to our summertime activities. We are offering a holiday club with free lunches so you can be free from your little horrors for a few hours each day.” Peter then thrust some leaflets into the woman’s hand and sped feeling very pleased with himself at having shared the Gospel.
Mary wasn’t as keen as Peter, but she knew that it was important to talk about her faith with people outside of the church. Mary was the last out the door and as she walked along, she met a lady clinging to some bags full of toys and some church leaflets as she cried. Mary was supposed to be talking about church projects but instead she decided to try, “Are you okay?”
Later that day, Peter was walking back to the church to get more leaflets when he noticed Mary coming out of the coffee shop with the young woman. Peter heard Mary say, “nice to meet you Karen” before seeing Karen hug Mary tightly as she said, “thanks for listening, it was just what I needed.”
As Peter and Mary walked back to the church together Mary told him that Karen was on her way home from the contact center where she had gone to meet her children who had been removed by social services. Tragically several buses hadn’t arrived (apparently the drivers were on strike) and so Karen had missed her appointment and she was on her way home carrying the toys that she had carefully selected for her children so that they could have something familiar with them in their foster home
Karen accepted that she had made bad choices in the past, but she was also trying so hard to turn her life around, but she felt like it all just kept going wrong. All that changed though as Karen got to know Mary and she even began to help at the church lunch club. The food hygiene certificate was her first ever qualification and she cried when Mary gave it to her. Her experience at the lunch club even gave her the confidence to apply for a catering course in the local college. Whenever she sees Peter, she tells him that she is hoping and praying for a day when she can bring her children to the church holiday club.
We may not have all the resources that we would like but we are all able to listen.
Things To Consider:
People are more important than programs. How do we keep this important emphasis central in our outreach programs and strategies?
Do our church programs help or hinder us from building relationships with people? Do we see ourselves just as service providers or as people who will offer time, care and friendship? Would we be more missional if we gave up all of our outreach activities and spent the time befriending people instead?
+++
While we at Spirit and Truth do not have very many outreach programs, the message in this modern-day parable is strikingly true! People are more important than programs. When Jesus tells the parable about Judgment Day, His focus is on how we treated people! How we loved them in tangible ways.
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on the left. 34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 And when did we see You as a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of Mine, you did it for Me.’ Matthew 25:31-40
Have you ever stopped to think about the way Jesus interacted with people? Many of you have heard me say this before! Jesus met people where they were at! He accepted them for who they were, loved them, and blessed them. He forgave them and then sent them on their way, knowing that God loves them.
Never once did Jesus tell people to go to Synagogue, or follow the rules, or go do this or that to get their life straighten out. Jesus simply loved them into the Kingdom of God and then trusted His Spirit to continue to work in their lives.
God does change lives! But He does it though love and not by following the rules.
May God bless us to be a true reflection of His heart as we interact with people and share who we are as the Children of God with the people of this world.
Have a blessed week!
Pastor Russ
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