The African Impala is an impressive athlete. Able to jump 10 feet in the air and cover 30 feet of distance, it has incredible physical ability.

But a three-foot wall at the zoo is all that's needed to keep it confined.

What?

It's simple: the Impala won't jump where it can't clearly see the landing. So long as the wall obscures where it can safely land, it won't attempt the leap.

The metaphor is too good to pass up.[i]

God's people are called to leap. And a safe landing is not guaranteed. And the more our culture careens away from God and His Word, the further out of our safe-landing zone we're going to have to go.

But the fear is so very real: What if it doesn't work? It might not. What if it fails miserably? It could. What if our church closes? Real possibility. What if the landing is painful? Not out of the question.

As a life-long German Lutheran, I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that we generally aren't known for our risk-taking leaps into new ministry endeavors. But I also know that by God's grace, we're far too faithful and stubborn to give up on reaching people with the Gospel.

Jump.

Maybe it's starting an ESL class for an immigrant community that is growing and could use the help. Perhaps it's stepping up to financially support a missionary overseas, even though the budget is lean. A local food pantry is always asking for help. There's a growing number of hurting people who've gone through divorce, both in the congregation and the community. It could be time for an after-school program, a place where kids can hang out, study, and hear about their Savior. Addiction is enslaving young and old, churched and unchurched alike. What can we do? The young families seem to have disappeared. How can we reach them? The congregation across town has always been considered a "rival"...maybe it's time to see them as a "partner" in mission and ministry.

Jump. 

More...