Levi's Banquet, Super Bowl Parties, and Gardettos with Chili

Last Sunday we had a Super Bowl party with our friends Jeremy and Ashley at their new home in west Austin (Lakeway). Because of the generosity of our home church, Hill Country Bible, we were given some funds to invest in people "missionally." We're planting a church in west Austin and we thought throwing a party would be a great way to meet folks. And, in fact, it was. It was like when Levi (Matthew) takes his first steps to follow Christ. He meets people by throwing a party for them. In the Gospel of Luke it describes Jesus and his disciples as mixing and mingling with the tax collectors and 'sinners' much to the Pharisees chagrin. That's bold evangelism.

When I reflect on my own life I realize that I'm usually not Matthew or the disciples (and definitely not Jesus) in this scenario. I'm usually a Pharisee. Granted, I'm not publically pointing any fingers but I'm generally staying away from people that make me uncomfortable. I'm scared of having an awkward conversation or even worse, being bored. I'd rather talk to someone who won't cuss too much or who has the theological astuteness to know what "perichoresis" means.

But anyway, back to our party. It was refreshing to reach out to people and simply get to know them. There was no gospel invitation and we hardly talked about planting a church. It was simple. It was a party. One thing I was amazed by was the diversity within the neighborhood. We had folks from India, Romania,Turkey and Lebanon all living on the same cul-de-sac. We even had some folks from California (how odd is that?). A friend I made from Romania, since he has only limited exposure to American food, topped his chili that Ashley made with Gardettos snack mix and M & M's. That's okay, he didn't know. And I didn't stop him. Although he probably thinks American food really sucks now. That's a silly analogy, but that's what happens when you mix and mingle with folks who are far from but in desperate need of the gospel. They do some strange stuff. But that's cool - that's what it's all about.