“Danger, danger!” “Danger Will Robinson, danger!” Who remembers that line from the 1960s series, “Lost in Space”? I know some of you do!

For those too young to remember the show, “Lost in Space” was a pre-Star Trek show that told the stories of the Robinson family and their outer space-time adventures. Robot, a large metal contraption with harmonica-like arms, is programmed to protect son Will Robinson by warning him and others of impending dangers in the unknown environments they find themselves in.

The 1960s was a time of exploration, of courage and daring, of venturing into the unknown, of curiosity and adventure. Some of you remember the impact of our actual space program. Meanwhile television mimicked the “zeitgeist” of culture with shows like “Lost in Space,” “Star Trek,” “Superman,” and other early Marvel superhero comics.

Today, we watch similar kinds of shows and movies –stories about the Avengers, James Bond, Star Wars, and other action-packed adventure stories that capture that sense of thrill and adventure.

But then we go home to our safe, secure homes and thank God it was “only a movie.” Our sense of adventure for real life often wanes in the face of adversity. We in the church, while we claim to be mission oriented, have become in real life mostly mission averse.

Our inner “warning signal” goes off every time we think about going out into our communities and talking about Jesus. We might as well be lost “in space,” for that is how many of us feel about our culture right now. It feels like a strange and dangerous environment, in which we don’t know who is “out there,” who will react in a hostile way, or who may challenge us, trash us, or put us down for our Christian beliefs.

Our decreased tolerance for risk-taking keeps us happier to be secured in our “sanctuaries” than out in the midst of the world, proclaiming the gospel. It’s scary out there!

Discipleship is a risky business.

Jesus doesn’t argue that point. Not at all. In fact, he spends a good deal of time making sure that his disciples know just how dangerous their future path as his disciples will be!

They will face persecution, push-back, danger, torture, rejection, banning, even death. Yet, he encourages them to do it. Why? Because God’s message of hope to humanity is that important! Jesus’ sacrifice and promise of hearts changed, a world transformed, and a future life promised is that important!

God’s mission is so important that Jesus spent three years training people whom he believes will have the courage to undertake it. He didn’t simply put out a sign saying: 

“Wanted: 60 able people willing to risk their lives for faith and community.”

No, he chose his disciples carefully. He cultivated them, taught them, discipled them, nurtured them, motivated their hearts and lit a fire in their souls for God’s mission of love to the world. And then through the power of the Holy Spirit, he set them loose in the world. And with fervor they went. The result? The birth of the Church.

When the apostles went out, they knew exactly what they were up against. What they might encounter. Like Abraham, Jacob, and others before them, they went into the mission field with eyes open but expecting the unexpected, ready for what might come their way, but keeping arms and hearts open to bless and love every step of their way.

That’s a risky business.

But it’s also a rewarding business. For when you are willing to take great risks, you also will reap great rewards. Not only is this the “story” of the Bible, but it’s the mantra of those today who understand the human psyche: psychologists, coaches, entrepreneurs, life-long learners. Those who would tell us that risks may feel uncomfortable, but they also create opportunities, enable growth, spur creativity, and increase our chances for success in whatever ventures we undertake. Most of life’s meaningful moments come from taking a risk, whether it’s a new job, new relationship, a divorce, or a promotion. Every inventor, every patent holder, every scientist, every business owner understands the meaning of risk.

Most successful business owners have first failed several times. Most successful authors have had their manuscripts rejected sometimes as many as 40 or 50 times. Most successful relationships come after dating people who do not feel compatible. 

Yet most churches try something once and say in a resigned way, “We tried that. It didn’t work. No one likes us. Let’s give up.”

Why are we so afraid of risk-taking?

Because our fear of failure is holding us back, keeping us stuck, preventing us from moving forward, from growing in our discipleship, from relying on our faith, from stepping outside of our doors.

But as Jesus’ disciples knew, as Jesus himself taught them, as we too know from the experiences of our lives and our own adventures, nothing is gained when nothing is ventured. Failure is inevitable if you avoid risks.

What Jesus did for his disciples in his process of mentoring them and preparing them is what we still need to do today: we need to “reframe failure” not as an ending but as a stone on the path on your way to success.

It’s about creating the kind of community that allows “failures” to be part of learning and not about measuring up to a standard or goal. It means making your faith about healing and loving, about relationships and cultivation of hope in others instead of making it a goal for you to accomplish in order to plump your pews or fix your finances.

Right motivations plus a healthy view of failure will equal a mind and heart open to risk taking, the kind of healthy risk taking that can lead you into the most fulfilling adventures of your life. 

Cause you never know when that day will come that you will encounter the unexpected!

Dangerous out there? There are risks for sure. But also great rewards!

Humanity can sometimes be vicious, judgmental, and attacking. Times of unrest can seem to bring out the very worst in human nature.

And yet,….people can also surprise us, and in one magical, unique moment, we can know we made a difference.

Take a look at this video for a moment.

[Video: “It’s in Our Nature”:  https://youtu.be/70cifFXLsz4]

This is the message we need in the church. We are counter-cultural. It’s in our nature. Despite our worst inclinations, we are committed to loving, including, healing, and making a difference in people’s lives.

That involves risk taking.

Human nature is complex. We have the ability within ourselves to be at our worst or our best. But unless we risk venturing out into the “wilds of the world,” we may fail to experience the worst, but we will never experience the heart-wrenching, amazing, and spectacular rewards that come when we give our best.