The church is a mission. That was the theme of our message last week at FCC. And, not just the capital “C” Church, but every member of the local church, has that same mission. You are a part of the mission of God at FCC and in our communities in southeast Kansas. And what is that mission? It’s a verse we’re all familiar with but it spells out the mission the clearest. Matthew 28:18-20, “18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” The mission is: go make disciples and teach them about Jesus.

     That is a big mission, an epic mission. That’s inspirational. That should charge up our batteries and excite us to be a part of what God is doing. So how is watching screaming kids in the nursery, or helping pass out communion trays, or opening the door out front achieving that mission? Those things don’t feel very EPIC. They can feel awfully mundane at times. I get that. But trust me, what you do for our church is the reason people are able to hear the gospel, to be molded into disciples, and to be taught about Jesus. 

     Every single Sunday, people come to church with walls. Maybe they’re new to church and they’re walls of hostility, apathy, or confusion. Maybe they had a bad week and they’re walls of pain and hurt. Maybe they’ve got a big event coming up and they’re walls of distraction. Everyone shows up with walls. If the people who show up at church have a shot at hearing the good news about Jesus that they need to hear that week, we have to try our hardest to eliminate those walls.

     And where do those walls come down? Research has shown it’s not during the sermon. They start to come down in the parking lot. That’s right. People decide whether or not they’re going to be receptive to church on a particular Sunday long before the preaching starts. What does that mean? All of the stuff you do helps tear down those walls. The smile you have when you greet them. The enthusiasm you show. The graciousness you demonstrate. All of it culminates in walls coming down so people can make a connection with Jesus.

     So wherever you are volunteering this week, know that you are helping tear down walls people have put up between them and Jesus. However small it might feel, if you do it with love, with enthusiasm, and with grace, people start to open up to Christ. And that’s our mission.