Risky Business

The church is learning to take risks for the sake of the gospel. It understands itself as different from the world because of its participation in the life, death, and resurrection of its Lord. It is raising questions, often threatening ones, about the church's cultural captivity, and it is grappling with the ethical and structural implications of its missional vocation. (Treasure in Clay Jars)

Refusing to take risks through inaction really isn't neutral ground. Fence sitting is deciding to take certain risks of inaction. It’s like having one foot on the stove and one on a block of ice and saying, “On the average I’m comfortable.” We risk, because, if we don’t we will only experience what we’ve always experienced, or, we will lose the very thing we’re trying to preserve. Taking risks, putting something on the line, opens up for us the possibility of something new, something more faithful. The disciples followed Jesus not knowing from day to day where they would end up. Following Jesus is a risky journey that will lead us to the cross because it is through the cross that the new life of resurrection is possible. We take risks because God risks. He risked himself when he opened up the possibility of love. He risked himself as a vulnerable baby in a manger. He risks every day by allowing us to wear his name. Risk is necessary if there is going to be something new. “Unless a grain of wheat falls to ground and dies, it remains a single grain, but if it dies it produces much fruit.”