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I just read an interesting blog post that got some attention on Hacker News recently: Why my Dad went through 24 TVs in two years

The author, whose father is an electronics salesman, recalls, “My dad inadvertently ended up selling more TVs to guests to our house, than to people in his actual retail shop.”

You can read the blog post for the details, but there are a few reasons that I would conclude made these in-home sales effective (these are some of my own thoughts mixed with the author’s).

1. His father was able to demonstrate the TV’s features in an everyday environment, rather than a retail showcase
2. The family’s guests probably thought that if he had brought it home for himself out of all the other options, it must be good
3. “[P]eople entering the house were a little more relaxed, and didn’t feel that someone behind the counter was going to hard sell to them before they left the premises”

This made me ponder upon how we try to share Jesus with those around us.  In many ways, Christians in the United States have grown comfortable trying to get people to come to a church building to see a trained preacher present the Gospel to them.  We figure that this formal pitch is what people will need to see the truth of who Jesus is.  While the formal preaching of God’s Word is very important, we should not depend upon this to the detriment of sharing Jesus with people in our daily lives.  For many, the appeal of seeing Christ at work in our homes, workplaces, schools, and back yards may be more appealing than a “retail” presentation alone (not to equate sharing the Gospel with making a sales pitch… I hope you understand the analogy).

That’s why I’m hoping that many Christians will take the call to be a living room missionary more seriously.  We need to invite people into our lives so that they can see who God is in an everyday environment.  We need to share with people why we have chosen to follow Christ, not only through a rehearsed Gospel presentation, but through a personal testimony of life transformation.  We need to demonstrate real care for people, and not give the impression that we’re just trying to “make the sale”.

I was recently able to see the new movie Avatar in 3D.  It was pretty incredible – the effects, animation, and 3D combined to make a truly immersive experience.  The story, which some have compared to Pocohantas, is also very appealing, and not just for its standard underdog-takes-on-the-bad-guy script.  There is something about the culture of the Na’vi (the film’s “blue people”) that appeals to our desire for something simple and genuine.

In fact, I was surprised to read recently that many people who watched the film are experiencing surprising side effects.  CNN.com reports that film-goers are suffering from the “Avatar blues”, and longing for the community they saw in the movie.  One forum commenter stated, “Ever since I went to see ‘Avatar’ I have been depressed. Watching the wonderful world of Pandora and all the Na’vi made me want to be one of them.”  This desire for community has even led some to depression and suicidal thoughts.  Other movies, such as The Last Samurai, point to this same longing in our hearts.

All of this reinforces a basic human desire: we long to live in genuine community.  We want to be in a network of trusted relationships that values honor, courage, respect, purity, love, discipline, and connection with the divine.  It’s an unsatisfied desire that has been within us since the fall of man (Genesis 3).  Because sin entered the world, we are alienated not only from one another, but from God Himself.  It is the most basic conflict of the human condition.

And this is why I feel the church is so important in today’s world.  People are seeking this kind of connection with God and with others, but all that our society offers is superficial community and short-lived material satisfaction.  This is why Jesus came into the world – to give us a path to connect with God and to reconcile us with one another.

“For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in [Jesus], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” – Colossians 1:19-20

We need to be reconciled to God.

This weekend, our church will be going on a retreat called “Make Us One”.  It’s my prayer that we will experience the truth of the Gospel message that provides what this world can’t: community with God and with others.  We want to be united as a church, and that can only happen through the reconciling power of Jesus Christ.  This is what our church needs – and what the world is looking for.