States of BLISS & Yearning// The Lawbreaker and the Evangelist

John Bell is a smart guy. He saved evangelism for last knowing that, most likely, people would not read further on in his book had that been his first chapter. Fortunately for all of us, his idea of evangelism is what I was hoping to hear.

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The UCC has a hard time claiming evangelism because we have this typical notion of what we feel everyone else thinks it is and so we feel as though we can't make it our own. I've always relied on the quote "Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words." I'm all about the action and being kind and doing justice. Not about helping others say the prayer that will help them accept Christ.

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This final chapter was based on the scripture from John 4:5-26... the story about Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. Bell first points to the fact that Jesus is a law breaker... He talked to someone he wasn't supposed to talk to, he depended on a woman which was against the cultural laws, and he drank from the same vessel she drank from. "This is the Lord whom we worship, this is the Christ to whom we sing, to whom we pray, behind whom we follow. And he is a lawbreaker" (105). And I'm ok with that. We have to forgo the norms and what is "proper" to reach out to the lost and the poor and the downtrodden. If we only keep to the law, we will be limiting ourselves. Jesus would not have been able to reach out to this woman had he not broken laws.

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The second bit of this chapter is about the woman becoming an evangelist. She is so transformed by this experience that she doesn't know what else to do but tell people. That's what most people do that are touched by Jesus... and I think it's appropriate. When something exciting and amazing happens in our lives we want to tell the whole world! So she does! Bell points out that he doesn't know how people who oppose the ordination of women take this text because here, as in many other stories in the Bible, women are bringing the good news. I had my fair share of amazing experiences in my life that I want to tell others about, so why shouldn't I be able to preach the gospel?

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This conversion moment for her was special because Jesus didn't use words to draw her in, and quite honestly, he didn't do something for her to help her understand who he was. No. He built a relationship. He didn't start by saying "I have come that you might have eternal life!" or "Would you like to know about an untapped spiritual reservoir?" She would have ran away... and ran fast! Jesus' "method of evangelism... is to engage people in doing what they can and not force them to grapple with what is beyond them" (108). He asked her to get him a glass of water, something she was capable of. Just like when he approached Peter, Andrew, James and John to become not just fishermen (for fish) but fishers of men (and while I'm not a fan of that latter phrase, it serves well for this story). Jesus uses our talents and abilities to help others use theirs so we can all feel the transformative power God has. Jesus didn't ask others to be a rabbi... we don't have to ask others to be evangelists or pastors. We are simply asked to give God what we can. Even if we can only put two talents in the offering plate, it is enough.

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"For it is when we use the potentials God has given us to advance the purposes of his kingdom that we become partners with, rather than strangers to, our Lord" (108).

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"Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary, use words." (St. Francis of Assisi)