Extend An Invitation. May 14, 2023. The Reverend Kathleen M. Sturges

 

Acts 17:22-34

Fear of speaking in public. Back in 2014, The Washington Report reported that that was America's biggest phobia. 25% percent of respondents to a survey about their fears said that they were most afraid of speaking in public. A close second was fear of heights. And third place went to the fear of snakes, bugs, and other animals. But I’ve got another fear that might top the list, especially for those of us who worship in the Episcopal Church, and that would be the fear of evangelizing. My guess is that most of us would rather do almost anything else - maybe even speak in public - before bringing up the topic of our faith with someone else. Bottom line: evangelism carries with it a lot of baggage.

But that doesn’t seem to bother the apostle Paul in our reading from the book of Acts. Standing in front of the Areopagus, which was a meeting place of the governing authorities in the city of Athens, Paul launches into a speech first applauding the Atheneans in their pursuit of faith and then points them to the true god made known in Jesus Christ. 

Likely when we hear that story, though, we tune out or adopt a very passive role as spectator. “Good for Paul,” we might think, and rationalize,  “Of course he’s putting himself out there and preaching the gospel because he’s an apostle - a special person appointed to do that.” We avoid even considering, for the briefest of moments, that perhaps it’s not just Paul who’s called to talk about his faith but we are as well. Because, guess what? We are. Now I don’t know about you, but just thinking about that puts a pit in my stomach. And maybe you’re looking at me and thinking that given I’m a priest I shouldn’t feel that way but I do - for a host of reasons. I don’t want to offend anyone. I don’t want to be rejected. I don’t want to make a relationship feel uncomfortable. There’s a reason that polite conversation dictates that one should avoid discussing both religion and politics and that’s because it’s just too risky.

I get all that and I bet you do too. But even with all of our good reasons that doesn’t change the fact that God wants us - needs us - to let others know about the good news: the good news that everyone is deeply loved. The good news that no one is without hope. The good news that, ultimately, no matter what, all shall be well. Part of loving our neighbor is sharing this news because it has the power to transform lives for the good.

So given all that, perhaps shifting our idea about what evangelism can look like might help. First of all, let me just say, preaching the gospel is not about being obnoxious. It’s not about lecturing someone on the Bible or the creeds or acting like you know it all. Who wants to be around that? And on a practical level, it rarely works. Truth is most people don’t come to faith because they reasoned their way into it. More often it’s a slow and gentle process of awakening that happens through relationships. First, relationships with people which open us the door to a deepening relationship with God. And because that is the case, that means that sharing your faith can look very much like an invitation - in particular, an invitation to come to church. Because it turns out that the number one reason people become a part of a Christian community is not because they like the building or the Sunday school program or even the priest (although I hope you do!). The number one reason people become a part of a worshiping community is simply because someone they knew invited them.

Invitation is powerful. It’s powerful because when we invite someone to church our invitation is really piggy-backing on God’s invitation that is already at work in their life. You’ve probably noticed by now that God never forces herself on anyone. There’s no coercion placed upon us to believe or to trust. But there is always invitation. An invitation that has been stirring in us from our very birth. An invitation to know God and to live God’s life of abundance. All that to say that our invitation, which might go something like, “Would you like to come to church with me?” can be so powerful because what it is doing is giving an audible voice to God’s invitation that is already stirring in a person’s heart.

Imagine with me, if you will, a person that you might invite to church. And then imagine that person has an analog clock face inside them - you know the traditional, old-school clock with moving hands and numbers. Now, if this potential invitee has a clock inside them with both hands pointing to 12, then whatever you say, that person will accept your invitation. You could even say something like, “You won’t like it. And I don’t really like it myself. But would you be interested in coming to church with me?” And if they are at 12:00 they will say, “Yes!” - yes because God’s Spirit has moved them to this place of receptivity. She has been working on this person’s heart and they are 100% ready for an invitation. But if someone’s clock is at 3, then whatever you say, it will be completely rejected. The response may go, “Me? Go to church? Are you crazy?” And if that’s the case then you know that they are at 3:00 in their relationship with God. And say you invited someone who is at 6:00, they might say something like, “I have thought about this, but church is full of hypocrites.” Then again, if you invite someone who asks something concrete like, “What time does the service start?” And you excitedly respond, “Oh there are lots of options, 8am, 9am and 11:15.” To which they reply,  “Well actually I’m busy.” There’s no need to be disappointed, you just know that God’s moved them to the 9:00 position. Then if you talk to someone who's at 11:00, they are so close. So close to accepting, but not quite there yet. “No, I don’t think so,” they might say, “But you can ask me again later.” As we are willing to extend an invitation to various people we will encounter folks at all different places on the clock face. And we see this in the varied responses to Paul’s preaching of the gospel. Some scoffed (3:00-er’s). Others were willing to listen some more (probably some 6:00 and 9:00-er’s mixed in). While others became believers (those were the 12:00-er’s!).

But hear me when I say this - the win, for Paul and for us, is not whether someone accepts our invitation. Whether they accept or not is God’s business. The win is simply in the ask. “Would you like to come to church with me?” That relatively simple invitation is one of the ways that we can do what God calls us to do - to share our faith, to proclaim the good news. The invitation is our part. God takes it from there. And no invitation returns void. God uses each one to bring someone closer, to move them along the clock face until their hearts are ready to say, “Yes!”

So if there is someone who has come to mind…a friend, a family member, an acquaintance. Perhaps it’s because God’s Spirit is prompting you to extend an invitation. “Would you like to come to church with me?” Remember, the win is in the ask. Because God is playing the long game. And in that game it is God who eventually wins us all with love.