"Catalytic Conversations"

Pastor Laura Guy

February 24, 2008

Here's an instant replay of what happened in worship:

We watched a video of a young couple who felt God calling them to start a ministry with people who live in apartments - helping them get connected with others, and maybe eventually connected with a church, too.
We saw how Jesus practiced evangelism (sharing good news) with the Samaritan woman in John 4:7-10, 16-29. Even though he knew the life this woman lived, he reached out to her across barriers of gender and race to start a conversation with her. During the course of that conversation, her life was changed. As a result many other people from her village came to meet Jesus, too.
We realized that doing evangelism is simply starting conversations. People may not be receptive to what we have to say - people walked away from Jesus all the time - but our job is to tell our story whenever God gives us an opportunity.
We handed out invitations to our Easter service as a tool we can use to start a conversation. At Willow Creek Community Church, the lobby of the building has a long bench that's called The Fool's Bench. It is where people sit and wait for their friends they have invited to church. They often feel foolish waiting there week after week for friends that may never come. But we are risk-takers in so many other areas of our lives - our driving, our health - why shouldn't we be risk-takers in our spiritual life, too? Why can't we spend a few weeks on a fool's bench waiting for friends we have invited to church? The greatest thrill we can ever know is introducing someone else to Jesus Christ. It's worth the risk.
We prayed that God would open doors for us to have catalytic conversations.
We shared communion with one another, remembering that we do not need an engraved invitation to this meal with the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings. Everyone is welcome.