2:8 Update

The ministry of the 2:8 House is really driven by a verse and a biblical narrative. Let us look first at the verse and then move to the narrative. 1 Thessalonians states, "We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you have become so dear to us."
Here at the 2:8 House we believe our calling is to live out the gospel before our neighbors. We engage in life with them. We share meals and stories. Furthermore, our story has been influenced, even transformed by the story of the gospel. It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that propels us to live out our faith before all people. We are striving to embody the life of Jesus, becoming flesh and moving into the neighborhood.
Now, we accomplish this in a variety of ways, (i.e. Tuesday lunch, Bible Study and Discipleship, one-on-one times and various get-togethers) however, each way can be summed up in one word- relationship. We are relationship-builders.    George Hunter explains, "Faith is not usually spread by mass media or by strangers, but by persons who are known and trusted by their hearers."
Moreover, we mentioned a particular biblical narrative that not only informs our theology, but drives our missiology. It is the story known as the Great Samaritan. This story reveals to us both a Christ-like response, as well as a question we must answer. "Who is our neighbor?"
In our context here at the 2:8 House, it is the community of Norman, and more specifically the Community of the University of Oklahoma. However, this community of OU reaches around the world.    In order to love one's neighbor as oneself (Luke 10:27), one must approach mission as a narrative way of being with the people among whom one ministers. This is at the heart of incarnational ministry. It means entering into their story, living with them, experiencing conflicts and suffering, becoming as it were, a character in the plot. It means forming genuine relationships. As Henri Nouwen describes, "It is building your home there."
1 Peter 4:9 instructs us, "Be hospitable to one another without complaining." Regardless of the culture, not only does everyone have stories to tell, but everyone loves to eat. Sitting around the dinner table for a meal (albeit a lost pastime in our Western American culture) is one of the most intimate gestures one can offer. It is here where every person involved makes themselves vulnerable. It is here where storytelling takes place and life happens.
Hospitality is just one way in which the "Word becomes flesh." Narrative Missiology is entrenched in incarnational ministry. Narrative Missiology thrives on life sources. Therefore, our ability to talk about life allows those things important to us to be revealed. The opportunity to share our stories opens us up to hear God's story more clearly, the story of God's presence and participation in our lives and in the life of the world. In a post modern world that desires real experience and real relationship, our ability to engage in ministry hinges on our ability to invite and be invited into the lives of people.
As Christian believers we cannot afford to compartmentalize our daily interactions and experiences. Part of what makes our stories so powerful is that they are words which mirror the lives we live. This is what James is describing when he calls us to "Be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves."   The lives we live must be directly connected to the stories we tell.
Therefore, the encompassing rationale of the story of The Great Samaritan is truly how it affects the hurt man. The priest and the religious authority within the story they pass by where they are needed most. Yet, it is the Samaritan, the one who would normally be discriminated against and most unlikely candidate to lend a helping, neighborly hand. He is the one who determines, in a world full of chaos and brokenness- love wins. Love wins. This is the heart of the gospel of our Lord, Jesus. It is the driving force behind all that we do here at the 2:8 House. Our story informs us to respond, to interact, to share in love. Why?