Just Love Them

I came across this post in rhymes with kerouac's blog:

We've begun showing a movie on Friday nights at our public meals program. A man from our church has donated a projector, dvd player and big screen - and the sound-system to go with it - and our church has covered the licensing fees. It's beautiful. Amidst the small crowd there's a single mom who stays after dinner with her daughter - whom I'm guessing is about nine. After Friday night's movie, as folks were getting dressed to go out into the cold, someone suggested we watch Casino Royale, the latest James Bond movie. I fended off the suggestion by saying, "Oh, we like family friendly movies here." To my surprise, everyone agreed. The mother, though, simply beamed. I can't tell you the joy that was on her face after I said it.

I was thinking about her all day today, that lady with her young daughter. I mean, have you been to the movies lately? The cost of a going to the cinema is simply out of her grasp and having a safe place to watch a movie with her daughter is a Friday night event for both of them. Just the thought of being able to do this pleases me to no end. I was talking with the nice church lady last week and I mentioned our movie night. She asked what I did with this, asked if we had a discussion afterwards. I simply said no, we just let folks enjoy the movies and both of us let it go. that's kind of the thing - everybody wanting to do 'ministry'. It's like, everything we do at church has to have a guest speaker - we can't just get together and have a fun time. Everything has to be... ministry. One of our more 'churchy' staff members at the Mission (who didn't last long.... they never do) once challenged me because I listened to the oldies station on the kitchen radio instead of the local Christian station.

God is love. Okay, I got that, Saint John. So I wonder then, if every time I display love in the world if I'm not displaying the nature of God. I wonder if a pretty good definition of 'ministry' might be to simply love God and to love others. Is there a time and a place to 'share the gospel' (whatever that means, exactly)? Of course there is. In the right time, and the right place, which you'll know - and you'll know exactly what to say, and how to say it - because it will be one more expression of the love of God, seamlessly flowing through you, bubbling up out of you, making you into a transparency through which God can be known. I'm not going to make that Mom pay me for a Friday night out with her daughter by making her sit through a gospel presentation. I love her too much for that, and I don't even know her name. [emphasis mine]

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Beautifully sweet. We often act like Gospel salesmen trying to force persuade others to 'buy' our product. Even though we know we might irritate others or cause others to be repulsive towards us and Christ, we do it anyway. We believe that as long as we have good intentions ("We love them so much, that is why we are aggressive."), it does not matter how the other party might feel.

If we truly love others, although we desperately want them to enter the kingdom of God, it cannot be a legitimate reason for us to be insensitive towards their feelings. We need to respect them as equals rather than objects. When we try to do 'imperialistic evangelism,' we might be preaching the message of love, but our act itself shows otherwise.

No hidden agenda, please. Just love them. The right time will come.