Sitting back and watching the water burst like a fountain into the pale blue summer sky, two workers stepped back to avoid getting their feet wet. A few others looked at each other, shrugged, and walked away. The remaining three workers were stuck with the daunting task of repairing this undetermined fault.
“Well, I'll call the super,” one said.
“I'll keep watch so that nothing changes,” another hollered over the bustling noise of traffic and morning commuters.
The third stood by the hole and looked down; hat wet, feet soaked. He jumped into the dark abyss and in the mess of gushing water and mud, reached into the fountain of water, felt around for a while, and turned a rusted handle.
“I shut off the water!” He shouted.
Have you ever waited countless hours for your toast to pop and find that its inability to pop is due to your forgetting to plug in the toaster? Or, that kettle that never boils because you never turned on the stove? It was just the other night that I found myself captivated by a pointless television show while my dinner laid limp on the cold BBQ. It's a matter of cause and effect—things don't get done unless somebody does them.
Recently, I had a conversation with a person who opened my eyes to something profound. I was filling my car with gas when a homeless man approached me.
“I was wondering if you had a couple extra dollars, I'm hungry and need bus fare,” he said.
This is an opportunity that every pastor thrives on—a chance to make a difference. In my wisdom, I thought of the perfect words.
“I don't have any cash on me, but can I pray for you?” After all, what can be better than prayer?
“Pray? You want to pray for me? But I'm hungry,” he yelled and moved on to the next car.
This was not in the manual. It was a perfect opportunity to give someone a chance to receive the “Bread of Life” and I was abruptly shut down.
My reflection afterward was worse than the conversation: “What did I do wrong? Why didn't that work? Maybe its persecution, yeah persecution that's it, I'm a martyr (minus the death and stuff).” Could it be my pride and boastfulness blinded me from my ability to love and love unconditionally?
“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”(James 2:15-17 NIV)
God has called us into action and how can we act if we have not faith? Sharing the Gospel through words is not the heavy lifting of Christianity—living out the Gospel message is.
Luke 10:25-37 is a good example of how to live out the Gospel. In response to the question, “And who is my neighbour?” Jesus recounts the Parable of the Good Samaritan. He tells of three men coming upon a man left for dead. The first two cross the road and continue on but the third, a Samaritan, has mercy. He bandages the beaten man's wounds, takes him to an inn, and pays for his recovery.
If we have the faith, how are we going to back it up? We cannot have faith without deed or deeds without faith. Our faith is in the One who sends us and our deeds are to bring Him glory and honour in all we do. The two cannot be separated.
Acting out of faith can be a scary thing. I know for me it's easy to become consumed by what others may think or how something may make me look. I have to put myself in constant self-check—what are my intentions?
Living this Gospel message can be a dirty thing and doesn't always bring about what we expect. Acting out of faith should be selfless and sacrificial. It's easy to have faith when you know what is waiting on the other side but quite often we don't. It's in those times—the times we jump in blind, where we can't see the outcome—that we are called to act and respond out of faith. To take the plunge is a bold step even if it means getting a little dirty.
