People, People, People

This weekend thousands of people will engage in hundreds of projects throughout Metro Atlanta through the Community Makeover. A whole variety of people will participate from every background and ethnicity. The initiators of all of this are Christ-Followers from 80 different churches. It is not required that you sign a statement of belief and proclaim yourself a Christian to volunteer. In fact, many Christians have invited their friends with no religious or church affiliation to be involved.

It is important that EVERYONE involved know a couple of things that are at the heart of this. First of all, we are not doing these acts of service because we like to sweat in what is proving to be the hottest weekend of 2010. Though we can take joy in knowing that toxins are leaving through our pores in merciless fashion, that is not the reason.

We are doing this because our belief in Jesus compels us to serve our neighbors as his disciples. He told us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength’ and to, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Jesus) He has left his followers on the planet to proclaim good news to the poor (whether physical or in spirit), freedom for prisoners (whether physical or in spirit), to care for widows, and reach out to those on the edges of society.

He didn’t say to just do this one weekend a year, but all of us getting out together sends a loud message that cannot be sent by one just one church alone. It’s not about my church, your church, or where you live. It’s not about your singing style or mine or what you think about that verse, or how you dress on Sunday. It’s about putting Jesus on display through his followers in a way that removes everything that could prevent people from seeing him and only him.

Even as we work and sweat and hydrate, the most important thing to remember is the example that Jesus set, life is about people. Jesus told stories about stepping back from your normal routine to pursue one lost, hurting person at a time. You never know where they are going to pop up, or when you are going to realize that they are missing. Doing a project is not only about hitting the nail straight or keeping the paint off the trim. Serving in the community is about people. It’s about showing love to the people we volunteer alongside, and to the people we are serving. It’s about being willing to stop long enough to look someone in the eye and show them kindness.

My hope is the thousands of people serving in Metro Atlanta this weekend through Engage Atlanta‘s Community Makeover will prepare the way for people to encounter the Spirit of Jesus in a way that they didn’t know existed. We cannot and should not just get the job done and walk away. Everyone should know that the heart of what we do and how we live is to share the love of God with people, people, people.

Everyone Belongs,

Paul