13For, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14But how are they to call on one in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in one of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone to proclaim him? 15And how are they to proclaim him unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”
~ Romans 10:13-15
I know what you’re thinking … pastors do what we do because we like the power and prestige of the role, and congregations do what they do because people have a need to gather together and … well … they don’t have anything better to do. Ok … so this is very tongue-in-cheek. But really … why do pastors and congregations do what we do? There are a lot of personal benefits to being part of a congregation: friendship, support, challenge, learning, growth and encouragement in our faith. I don’t want to take anything away from these, because they are very important. But, I believe the main reasons we do what we do is to hear and experience God’s story and how God’s story and our story come together and become our story. Everything we do is in service to God and God’s story. And part of a good story is hearing it over and over again, and then sharing it!
As I was thinking about this article, I thought about the hymn “I Love to Tell the Story”. The fourth verse reads:
I love to tell the story, for those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest.
And when, in scenes of glory, I sing the new, new song,
’Twill be the old, old story that I have loved so long.
As the Romans 10 verses above challenge us, how are others supposed to hear if we don’t proclaim? It is you and I who are sent. We are the beautiful feet that bring the good news that is old and familiar to us, yet new and satisfying to those who may be hearing it for the first time or hearing it differently for the first time.
Sometimes when people feel that I am preaching the “go out and share” message a bit too much, they challenge me by asking “Well, pastor, what about the people who are already here?” This shouldn’t even be a question for us. It is not and never should be an either/or – as in either we feed and nurture our own people, or we feed and nurture those outside of the congregation. The truth is … we’re called to do both. If we neglect either one of these, we are not doing our job as a church of Jesus Christ.
So, I am asking for your help as we enter the fall. As you are sure to know by now, Bethel is participating in The Story – a 31-week journey through the Bible. We’ll do this as a whole congregation: in worship, in Sunday School from preschool through adults, and in small home groups which we are starting. I’m asking for your help by:
- Participating in The Story through worship as regularly as you can.
- Participating in Sunday School and/or small groups.
- Bringing this conversation home to your families and friends.
- Sharing what we’re doing and inviting others. You can use the invitation cards available in the narthex, or take time to call or write to people and invite them to join us.
We are using books that are geared to specific age levels: preschool, early elementary, later elementary, teen and adult. These books are available through the church for $5 each. These are good for your own use, but also as gifts for children or grandchildren. Especially the preschool and early elementary books are beautifully illustrated, and there are trading cards that parents could use with their children even if they are not part of Bethel. The point is to share the story and help is to be part of our lives.
Lutherans have a strong history of knowing the Bible and in learning, so I look forward to this journey with you over the coming year. Let’s use our beautiful feet to share the Good News of Jesus in our families and communities.
In Christ,
Pastor Jeff
Epicurious Lutheran 