I was recently in a meeting for congregational development where the Rev. David Wiggs articulated that we “have lost our sense of urgency.” Somewhere in the last 60 years we, the people who call ourselves United Methodists, have been sitting in our buildings and have forgotten that Jesus never asked us to fill our calendars and stay busy. The gospel has gotten lost in our “doing church.” Our urgency to share our stories about how God has transformed our lives has gotten lost. We are almost ashamed or embarrassed by our story of witness. We are wiling to give our time, to share our talents and to work for others but for some reason we will not open our mouths to tell our stories. It is interesting because we will talk to strangers about many other things like the weather, the time, our service from businesses.
On Ash Wednesday, I was on the sidewalks of downtown Tulsa with a group of other ministers offering people prayers and ashes. I was surprised that some in my group were afraid to ask. These were people who have answered the call into ministry but they were afraid to ask strangers if they would like to be prayed for. I would be a liar if I didn’t say that I myself found it intensely uncomfortable. But what was the worst thing that could happen? People would say no. So I ended up being the spokesperson for my group because I was willing to be uncomfortable. And guess what? Some people said yes! They did want to be prayed for and they were willing to be marked with the sign of the cross in ashes. And one man was prayed over by another group and wept through the prayer. He encountered God that day and if no one had asked him if he would like to be prayed for, it would not have happened.
We live in a hurting world and we have found strength to face it with our relationship through Jesus Christ. Why would we not want to share this? Why would we not want every person to hear this story? Our message is an urgent one “There is a better way to live life! You are loved and forgiven! You are not alone!” In a world that is becoming more distant and more fractured, ours is a message that brings healing. So get uncomfortable! Tell your story! Now!
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