The Sending Of The Seventy Two. Luke Chapter 10.
We all comment how times have changed- but the only people that this is relevant to are those with whom we may share this comment with and are of a similar age or older. For any others the comment is possibly irrelevant or the changing times are seen as potential progress. Certainly teaching strategies have changed and continually change, likewise business analysts will change opinions and directions as expected. With regards to Christianity, no doubt the progression, the method of worship will have changed – but what about the attitude towards a religion or Christianity? In my own relatively short lifetime, I would say that without doubt there has been a marked changed towards how society perceives religion.
A question that I feel is very pertinent today is ‘how shall they hear the word of God’? How does our society understand the Christian message of the gospel, how do they learn of the person of Jesus – when so little is taught in our schools as society has to encompass the whole diversity of religion not just Christianity. When and how will they learn and understand about Jesus, sure they may hear of him, but when will they learn and understand his teachings and know the personality of Jesus – he is not just a figure from history who appears in books.
When the Billy Graham crusades started in London in the sixties, as a member of their choir I left leaflets of the events on the desks of the staff at the office of Thomas Cook where I was working to invite and encourage people to attend. Would I be allowed to do that today, I know for certain over the past few years that this action would have raised objections from fellow workers representing other faiths or otherwise – certainly you would not be able to talk as freely and as openly about your own personal faith unless you were in a personal committed conversation. I totally respect everybody who has a faith – for all these other faiths, they may lead to God, but many do ignore the person of Jesus Christ and for me that’s central and crucial to my faith but that’s for our mighty God to deal with in his infinite wisdom!
When I was a young Christian and I do believe passionately that it was with the knowledge of Jesus Christ as a person that was and is central to my faith that part of my remit as a Christian was to inform others of the message of the gospel. As I have already said part of that certainly was by word of mouth with your friends and your work colleagues, but as a Church we were encouraged to visit within the Parish. So every fourth Wednesday evening in twos we went knocking on doors, not preaching but inviting people to their local Church. You were not always welcome and many, no sooner had they opened their doors, they closed them sometimes with comments – but there were some who would listen and accept an invitation, plus there were some who would even come along to the service the following week. As a Church we were quite fortunate that we had a thriving children’s work – various clubs during the course of the week that brought many children from the Parish into the Church activities. The local Church was heavily into providing for the children of its parish – there was tremendous commitment from all the leaders and a need to instil the message of the gospel. However as one can look back over years the commitment of those leaders turned elsewhere as they raised families and moved on – but soon the new age of leaders diminished -how were they hearing the message of the gospel?
I never lived in the Parish I attended as a Christian, so over the many years that I attended the Church I was often invited to lunch or supper on a Sunday. Because you arrived at Church for the morning service at 11.00 hrs , Sunday school followed in the afternoon and there was the main service in the evening, so it was a full day of worship and praise. Does our worship pattern need to change that much? So it soon became known amongst the congregation that Brian does not like pork or tinned peaches and cream etc, stay with me, explanation to follow, but going back to the visiting on that fourth Wednesday evening – you would meet many people and befriend them and be invited in for tea and welcomed back as you got to know them and join in family celebrations or whatever.
In the gospel reading to those who have gone out to visit they are advised – stay and eat with those who are receptive to the message!!!
I remember two such invitations from those early years, one was a Jamaican family celebrating a birthday within the family, the mother had made this enormous fruit cake the size of which I had never seen before. It oozed of every alcohol possible and quite honestly its taste was unbelievable!
On another occasion I was invited to tea by this elderly lady and her brother, I am sorry but it was spam sandwiches, I can still remember those arrow prayers – Lord you know I don’t like this – I can’t eat it – slowly the spam was removed from the bread without anyone noticing but the tinned peaches were declined.
Perhaps today it would not be so easy to knock on doors and talk about our Church and our faith; perhaps those on the inside would not be too ready to open their doors and listen to us, but how are they going to hear if they have never heard? Many generations have not visited Church so when did they hear the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ? If we do not inform them who will !!!
Certainly from my perspective attitudes have changed to the receiving of the Christian message, the awareness of other faiths, the competition to Church on a Sunday, the advent of the non- believers, the society in which we now live – it is not always so convenient to visit – the climate of change is not conducive to the opening of doors. We cannot so freely always talk about our faith to others in the workplace, but when does this present any excuse for our commitment to the gospel.
Our reading says God chose another seventy two – he has now chosen many more including the whole congregation of St Chads to preach his message. In the fat years has the Church been negligent of preaching the gospel (by Church I mean ourselves as well) I would suggest perhaps it has – it’s become too exclusive? Now we have the lean years – where now we as a Church need funds to continue our growth but in addition to our stability in our Church we must have OUTREACH. We have to be proactive – we have to be continually seeking new ways of exploring means by which we can encourage people to come inside our Church, we have to explore new ways ,new roads of awareness of leads of worship that connect with the population; a Church that makes JESUS real to its parish. To reach out to our Parish with the gospel is our future. Every family who pass through our doors who wants Christian values installed as a base for their children we need your help in every aspect of Church life. We need leaflets printed to flood the Parish with the message of the gospel, that’s invitations to our services, our Sunday school, our coffee pot mornings. We need everybody’s help for the jobs that need fixing around the Church – the cleaning, the tea making, it’s our home! If you do not do it, who will?? Consider everything we do in Church as a privilege not a chore, we do it for our Lord Jesus. The more people we attract into our Church it will make it easier on ourselves but the rewards will be sensational. The power of the Holy Spirit will so work in their hearts so that we can overcome our financial hiccups.
The world around us changes all the time – as a Church we must adapt to the changing needs – as the hymn says ’through all the changing scenes of life’. That does not mean we change the gospel of Jesus Christ and our understanding, it means we change our attitude and we challenge ourselves to be disciples of Christ but in so doing we are the seventy two!!!. If you were on trial for being a Christian and take into account all that Jesus requests us do, would you be convicted? May we never boast of anything except the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Amen
Brian Scotcher. Lay Reader.