“We have often said heretofore that the Gospel, properly speaking, is not something written in books, but an oral proclamation, which shall be heard in all the world and shall be cried out freely before all creatures, so that all would have to hear it if they had ears; that is to say, it shall be preached so publicly that to preach it more publicly would be impossible. For the Law, which was of old, and what the prophets preached, was not cried out in all the world before all creatures, but it was preached by the Jews in their synagogues. But the Gospel shall not be thus confined; it shall be preached freely unto all the world.”

                      - Martin Luther, Gospel Sermon, Ascension Day (Lenker Edition, Vol XII, #3)

Have you ever heard it said that the church needs to do no outreach here in the United States because all anyone needs to do to hear the Gospel is go to one of the thousands of neighborhood churches to hear it?

Of course, we would want to qualify that because the Gospel is not always proclaimed clearly in every so-called Christian congregation. But even if only orthodox churches were meant, such reasoning falls short of Luther's explanation. Did you catch the difference between the Gospel and the Law in the above paragraph? The Law was preached only in synagogues while the Gospel is not be be so limited in its proclamation.

St Paul certainly carried the Gospel first to the synagogues of the Mediterranean world where he traveled. But he also went elsewhere to preach, including a rented hall in Ephesus, before a gathering of philosophers on Mars Hill in Athens, palaces, and in numerous private homes. That this message was not to be confined to houses of worship is evident from the beginning. The angels, the first evangelists, set the pace by proclaiming the Gospel from the skies over Bethlehem. The shepherds followed suite, so that on their way back home, they told everyone they saw about what they had seen and heard in Bethlehem. In fact, the incarnation itself testifies that God had to come to us; we cannot go to God. The parables of the lost sheep and coin show God seeking the lost.

So no one dare think that the pulpit is the exclusive medium for people to hear the Gospel. As the New Testament indicates, our Lord did not limit himself to preaching and teaching in synagogues. Jesus, along with his disciples, went out to the towns and villages of Galilee to preach. To encourage getting the message of the Gospel out, the Transforming Congregations Network consultants typically prescribe that congregations develop between 4-6 interactions with their communities to occur outside their building. Some have taken the Word to county fairs, others, to local teen pizza hangouts, and still others, to sports bars. During this season, some take it to the malls where members gift wrap packages for shoppers. Others will broadcast events over local cable access channels. Still others always keep copies of “Portals of Prayer” handy to give to people they engage in conversation. “To all creatures,” and “to the end of the earth” leave no person or place exempted. As children many of us sang about this little Gospel light, “hide it under a bushel? – no! I'm going to let it shine.” But if the Gospel is only proclaimed in church buildings and is not taken to the highways and byways and into the marketplace and public square, how is it a light for the world?