This is my first Spring as a homeowner. While there are some things about it that aren’t so much fun, such as spring cleaning and the start of yard work, such as mowing again, there are some exciting parts of it as well. With the warmer weather, I can turn off the furnace and open up the windows. I can spend more time outside. I can get the grill out and cook outside, which is even more enticing because I recently bought a new gas grill, and I can’t wait to put it to good use. I don’t know about you, but I love the warmer temperatures that come with Spring and then Summer. I really enjoy the opportunities to get outside and go for a bike ride or a walk. The sunshine feels great in 60 and 70 degree temperatures. Some of my favorite childhood memories are in the warmer temps of spring and summer.
I remember going to the public pool and spending hours swimming with friends, and getting sunburnt more times than I care to admit. I remember going on bike rides with friends around town and going to each other’s houses to play games and do stuff. As a kid, summer was the best season because of the freedom it offered. No school and not a whole lot going on in sports except youth baseball. We could do whatever we wanted for the most part. It’s unfortunately a bit different as an adult, as we have jobs that run year round, unless you are lucky enough to be retired, or a school teacher. But I hope you still have that joy of Spring and Summer and the newness that comes with it.
At the beginning of April, a group of us met at the church to paint the youth room. I don’t know when it was painted the last time, but we gave it a new look, and everyone I’ve talked to thinks it looks great, which is really encouraging! There’s nothing like painting a room a new color or redecorating something in a new way only to find out it looks bad. I’m now in the process of transforming it into a new environment. I think we can all agree that the environment plays a huge role in how we feel at any given moment. Restaurants and bars and stores go to great lengths to create the right environment for their patrons, to make them feel good. My hope with the new-look youth room is that it is a place where students know they are loved and welcomed and safe. Not that the old room didn’t accomplish that, but I think it could be done better, which is why I wanted to change it.
Now, I know some of you aren’t a fan of change. Change can be scary sometimes. We like the comfort of the familiar. But at least every once in a while, change is necessary. We get used to the same thing over and over and it loses its impact on us. I don’t think that’s a good thing. I think it’s good to change things up on occasion, certainly if it allows you to accomplish your mission better. Take my weight-loss mission for example.
When I was in college, I weighed in around 245 at my max. It wasn’t good. So I set out to lose weight one summer. I would go on walks everyday. One hour walks around town is what got me started. I lost the first 20ish pounds that way. But then my weight plateaued. I had to change it up because walking 3-4 miles each day wasn’t getting the job done. So I incorporated running into my workout. And I periodically increased how far I would run. It started out at a measly quarter of a mile. But I kept working at it and that turned into a half mile, then ¾ of a mile, then a whole mile. I got my weight down to 184 at its lowest, and then it settled right around 190, but I was still running everyday to keep it at that weight. I couldn’t have lost that weight if I just kept walking everyday. I had to change it up to get better results.
As Christians, our mission is to make disciples of every nation, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We have different methods of doing that, depending on age, life experience, and other demographic information. But it’s important to revisit what we do periodically to make sure we are still as effective as we want to be. And if we aren’t, then we need to change it up.
The apostles experienced the need for change towards the beginning of the book of Acts. In Acts 8, Philip is sent to an Ethiopian eunuch who was reading the book of Isaiah. Philip is able to explain what the eunuch was reading and it led to the eunuch getting baptized. Two chapters later, in Acts 10, Peter is called to the house of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. In the process of getting to Cornelius’ house, Peter goes up on a roof to pray and is given a vision from God that tells Peter that all foods are now clean. Then he gets to Cornelius’ house and Peter ends up baptizing Cornelius.
To the apostles, it was no doubt a shock that Gentiles, that is non-Jews, were able to receive salvation from God. They always pictured the Messiah as the savior of the Jews only. In Acts 15, a council is formed to determine what to do about this newfound discovery that Gentiles were putting their faith in Jesus. They had to change up their mission and goals. Paul is then sent on missionary journeys, which cover most of the rest of the book of Acts.
I’m not saying here at RCC that we aren’t doing things right or that what we are doing isn’t effective or good. All I’m saying is that we need to be open to the idea of change, because we are dealing with a world of ever changing people with ever changing needs and who need Jesus just as much as Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch 2000 years ago, and it’s our responsibility to show them Jesus.
6 “I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7 to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness. 8 “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. 9 See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.” -Isaiah 42:6-9 (NIV)
