Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Matthew 9:35-38
Growing up in Indiana, the house I grew up in is located on a small private lake. I spent many days on and around that lake playing, swimming and fishing. No matter how much time I spend around lakes, I cannot resist the urge to throw a rock into the calm water. If you have ever thrown a rock into a calm lake you will notice that at the point in which the rock enters the water circles form. I used to love to watch and see how big the circles would get. It always amazes me how big the ripples get despite the size of the rock.
I mention this because as we are closing in on the annual Pinnacle Rummage Sale, I can’t help to think of the rummage sale as a rock thrown into the community of Scottsdale. This one event has dozen’s of people from PPC giving hundreds of hours of work to make it possible. But those aren’t the only rings that are made. There will be the rings of the lives affected on the Teen Mission Trip, which the rummage sale supports. There are the rings of all those who we get to meet through their donations. Rings of those who will be at the sale to purchase items and even bigger rings of the different people in the ministries that will get all of the items not sold.
As I was thinking about all the lives that are and will be affected by the rummage sale, I can’t help but think how missional the rummage sale has become. Part of being missional is meeting people where they are and on their terms. It is about being present for people and through those relationships, through those encounters, we too get to share our lives…our lives in Christ with them.
It is interesting how something like a rummage sale can literally open doors and conversations about PPC and what God is doing here. Not just with me, as the pastor, but conversations between neighbors and friends about what is going on at Pinnacle. As we walk along the shoreline in Lent towards Easter, and even our journey beyond Easter, there are lots of rocks along the way that are ready to be thrown out into our community; from Holy Week Activities, Vacation Bible School, Take Mama Away, the youth’s Mission Trip, the number of rocks goes on and on. However, it doesn’t matter how many rocks we have in front of us, a rock on the shore can’t make any ripple. For a rock to make ripples it needs to be thrown. With all the rocks that we have at PPC, we should stop simply making ripples and start making waves.
