Better Together

Years ago, when I was a middle school youth pastor, I led a mission trip to Ocean City, New Jersey. It was one of my favorite ministry experiences because on that trip, we literally accomplished what many people thought was impossible. We were given the opportunity to paint the tallest church in Ocean City. It was a very old wooden building, and every square inch needed to be scraped by hand and sanded. Then it needed multiple coats of primer and then multiple coats of paint. I might have forgotten to mention that my crew was made up almost entirely of squirrely middle-schoolers, most of whose painting experience was limited to finger painting in elementary school. 

On paper, it did not sound like my finest idea. In fact, every day we were on that mission trip, people from the community stopped by and informed me that our mission was impossible. What were we thinking? Why would we take on such a huge task? In my understanding, a crucial part of short term mission trips is that they are a sweet opportunity for discipleship. An opportunity to show others that with the help of Jesus and through faithfulness, “we can accomplish far more than we could hope or imagine.” And that is exactly what happened. Through some early mornings and late evenings and a lot of dripped paint, we completed the task early! To this day, when I interact with members of that team, they mention that it was a highlight of their lives. 

I cannot help but think this is similar to what Jesus wanted to happen when He sent out the disciples to Jerusalem and told them they were not allowed to take their wallets. (Okay, the ESV says “purse,” but you get the point.) Jesus wanted them to depend on God for their provision; they were sent out 2 by 2, meaning they were supposed to collaborate on their mission. From my perspective, Jesus sent His disciples on a sort of short-term mission trip which was intended to have a long-term impact on their lives. I love the idea of that! It was not because they lacked wallets; He just wanted to stretch them to the point where what they were doing felt quite impossible. But with God it was more than possible…it was incredibly practical. With His help and when we are all in, we can accomplish the impossible. 

I pray that for us today…that we would experience together, with one another and with God, what we could never experience apart.Click here to find out some ways that you can get more involved at Hope this week.

Expectantly,

Shawn

P.S. Many in our church are mourning the death of family members this week. Please join me in praying for Terry Yee and family on the loss of his brother, Joshua Yee (find his obituary here); for Dana and Bruce Hendricks and family on the loss of Dana’s mother, Anita Jo Fiedler (find her obituary here); and for Ron and Kim Young on the loss of his sister, Joanna Rowan Tobias.