Mission trips are notorious for spiritual highs. There is something about carving out a few weeks of our calendar year to devote ourselves first to God, and second to His people. We prepare in prayer for weeks before the trip, we save, raise money, and make sacrifices in our budget, we make lists, pack and prepare for this journey. We do whatever it takes for us to spend a couple of weeks living out the gospel. We feed those who are hungry, clothe those who are naked, pray for those who are sick, and love those who are lonely. We make ourselves available every second of our day to make His name famous.
I remember one of my first mission trips to Mexico. I would wake with the sun, pull on my boots and hoodie, and start the day with a walk around the orphanage walls. It was an intentional walk to put my focus and attention on God, for Him to create in me a clean heart so that He could use me in even the most miniscule task to love and serve His people. As I would start the two-mile trek around the walls my heart would be overwhelmed with awe of God’s grace and love and mercy. I would read scripture out loud and ask God to transform my sinful nature so that Jesus would be visible. As I rounded the last of the walk the tension between my spirit and flesh ceased and I started my day of laying bricks, or passing out food and clothes, or cleaning the toilets, or hauling the water, or fulfilling any task large or small with the greatest joy I have ever experienced. There was no greater joy than to scoop up a tiny, tousled hair child, and whisper prayers over her life, and tell her the story of a man who died to save her.
This new concept of living in missional community has got me thinking. I heard Stew say once that when we aim for community, we’re lucky to get community, but when we aim to be on mission, we get community and mission. What if we took this same attitude that we take to the mission field for a two or three week sprint and evolved it into an every day marathon? What if we started our day and said “for the purpose of Your glory I will love my neighbor, do my job in excellence, play and teach my child, take out the garbage, wash the dishes, study scripture, pray, worship, send out this email?”
Whether Jesus was saving, teaching, defending, redeeming, or acting, He was doing it all to bring glory to the Father. If everything that Jesus did was to bring glory to the Father, how much more should we strive to do everything to make much of His name and for His glory to be known among men? Romans 11:36 says, “From Him, to Him, and through Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.” God is the creator and sustainer of all things as well as the lens with which we are to look at all things. Being on mission or being part of a missional community means acknowledging that our lives, thoughts, actions, and praise are all meant to bring glory to the Father. Just as much as we cross the great blue oceans to spend some of the greatest weeks of our lives making famous the majestic name of God, we are able to wake up in our corner of the great city of Austin and experience this same mission trip high during our every day. Whether we are barbecuing with the neighbors, taking a friend and a lab to take a jog around town lake, serving in St. John, praying for a friend, or pushing a cart around Whole Foods we are to be bringing glory to our Father.
Why does it seem to be easier for Christians to engage in living missionally overseas instead of in our very own neighborhoods and city?
- Annie Hanks & Theresa Claunch
image: Community Spirit - by sifah
