In regards to being witnesses for Christ, where and how do we trade "showing" for "telling", and is that even a valid question? I don't believe the two are exclusive of each other. In fact, they MUST go hand in hand, if I am to follow James' imperative (be doers of the word). Last night, at the Encuentro (Gathering) hosted by Fairfields church, at one point late in the evening, we (Leslie and I) found ourselves seated around a table, talking to Coni, whom we just met for the first time in December, when we hosted "Las Posadas" here at the parsonage, and several of the guys from White Stone. The conversation came around to a discussion about the differences in culture between Mexico and the United States, and Coni was making the point that there is a stronger sense of Community in a Hispanic context than in the normal context here in the States. I agreed with her, and commented that that was what we were trying to build in hosting the gatherings; build community among the Hispanics who are here, as well as (hopefully) build a cross-cultural community between the congregations in the Baptist churches in the association and the Hispanic population on the Northern Neck. More to the point, in forming community, in being IN community, we find ourselves breaking in the Kingdom of God. It is why we do what we do. Coni's response was "That is a lofty goal. You have to have a pure heart to do that." She then looked at Leslie and asked her point blank: "Why are you so good? Were you born that way or did something happen to you to make you like that?"(!!!!) There was a hesitation while Leslie tried to understand what she'd asked, and when she looked at me, I translated the question for her.

You have to know that, over the last several weeks, Leslie has sensed an increasing urgency to share the Gospel in word as well as deed, to call people to a faith response, to say that we can talk about shared concepts of faith, but when it comes down to it, being true to the Gospel and to our calling demands a response, a decision, a conscious choice as to how we are going to live our lives: for ourselves or for God. I had already planned on reiterating the basic Gospel message during our devotional time at the end of the evening, but this conversation was something that I couldn't even think of stopping. We sat there for 10 or 15 minutes, and between us explained that (though Leslie was talking about herself, what she was saying applies to both of us, so I will use "we") we were not good, that all of us around the table were sinners, separated from God, and that no matter how hard we tried, nothing we could do in and of ourselves could reconnect us to God. That reconnection with God came about through our encounter with Jesus Christ and our continuing relationship with him. That we do what we do in terms of carrying on the ministry is an answer to Christ's imperative. We must do this, in response to the love that we have experienced in Christ. We're not doing this out of a sense of guilt, or with the expectation of being rewarded for it. What we would consider a success would be to share this kindness, the Gospel in deed, and to know that they return to Mexico and once there, they in turn "pay it forward". We brought up the movie by that name to illustrate the point. We do something without the expectation of getting something back from the people we do it for, but in the expectation (and hope) that at some point in the future they would do the same for others, out of the love that they have experienced through meeting Christ in these gatherings.

For answering our deepest longing by providing communion, we give you thanks, O God.

Give us wisdom to recognize opportunities when you place them before us, and courage to stand in the gap and flesh out your word in our living. Amen.