Dcn Brigid Waszczak

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: “Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. (Luke 9:1-6)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

During elementary school, there was a strip mall just over the hill from our house. Mom often sent us to cross a highly-trafficked road to the supermarket there to buy food. She had taught us how to safely cross a busy street and to how keep track of change when we paid for groceries. Mom had confidence in us, so we had confidence in ourselves to run the errand successfully.

Like my mom, Jesus taught the disciples carefully, too. And they had watched him heal, drive out demons, and offer good news of the Kingdom. Jesus had confidence that they were well-prepared to go out on their own. He even invested them with power and gave them authority. Jesus had confidence in them so they had confidence in themselves. What they were doing is called evangelism.

Evangelism is not something we enthusiastically embrace even though, like the disciples, we have been commissioned by Jesus for exactly that. (The Great Commission, Matthew 28:16–20) Perhaps the word “evangelism” conjures images of preaching at people, insisting they believe what we do, or awkwardly sharing our faith with perfect strangers? None of that need define our understanding and pursuit of evangelism.

The disciples were to attend to the hurt, wounded, suffering, down-on-their-luck, and down-in-spirit and uplift them. Not all demons are actual evil spirits; not all disease and healing is physical.

Offering compassion and kindness is evangelism. Providing empathy and a listening heart is evangelism. Casual comments that let people know you pray or go to church sprinkled into conversation is evangelism. Unselfconscious stories of your own relationship with the Divine serve as evangelism. Evangelism need not be difficult.

Jesus cautioned the disciples that not everyone would welcome them. They were to move on, “shake the dust from their feet,” but keep going. Not everyone will be open to the gracious goodwill we offer either. Maybe it is not their time to hear or accept it. Do not be offended. Move on. Do not let that stop you from your Jesus-authorized mission.

God sends hungry, lonely, distressed people into our lives daily. I see them beside me at the Post Office, the supermarket, Starbucks, etc. Opportunities abound for evangelism. Keeping our eyes and hearts open allows us to see and share Spirit-inspired spontaneous moments of evangelism.

Blessings,

—Dcn Brigid