Today’s Sermon in a Nutshell

When you hear the word Evangelism, most of us immediately envision preachers on television asking people for money. Sadly, that is a far cry from what that word literally means. Evangelism is a noun whose definition is, “the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness.” It stems from the koine Greek word evvangalia, meaning “Good News,” the same word we use to describe the four New Testament Gospels containing the teachings of Jesus Christ. Similarly, the word Gospel derives from the Old English combined phrase God Spel, meaning “Good Story.”

All Christians, by virtue of our baptism, are called upon to be evangelistic because we are an “apostolic” church. In other words, we are expected to learn our Faith, practice our Faith, proclaim our Faith, and share our Faith, and spread our Faith!

This morning’s gospel lesson, in a sense reaffirms this as Christ calls for us to “love one another, do good to one another, and be charitable to one another.”  Yet, our Lord also says something else which we often overlook: He asks us to do these things but to, “expect nothing or hope for nothing in return,” for then our reward will be great in heaven.

Far too many people today approach evangelism from a capitalistic, business-minded, quantitative mind-set which is incongruent with the Christ’s Church. Remember, God doesn’t think the way we think: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no man may boast before God.” (1st Corinthians 1:27-29) Therefore, as the Psalmist stated, “Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it, labor in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)

Our duty then, is to simply be evangelistic by living our Faith, practicing our Faith, and sharing our Faith – but to expect nothing to come of it. Sounds strange, but if we have our own ulterior motives for filling the pews of this parish, whether it be for financial gain or arrogant pride, we are simply spinning our wheels and getting nowhere, laboring in vain. 

Yet if we do our part by truly living our Faith in its fullest context: being faithful, loving one another, being charitable, merciful, forgiving…then, just maybe, God will decide for Himself to build and bless this church with abundance and cause it to grow. 

Fr. John