Wednesday 19 May 2010

Background

In John's Gospel, right at the beginning, we read about the Wordbecoming flesh. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word waswith God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God"(John 1:1-2). This was John's poetic way of explaining that Jesusdid not just appear at his birth, but was with God right at thestart - from the creation of the world.

Jesus took human form - became 'incarnate' - so that he mightbridge the gap between heaven and earth, God and humankind. And so,in verse 18 of chapter 17, we have John writing a passage similarto the end of Matthew's Gospel where Jesus says to his disciples,"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (Matthew28:19).

As God has sent Jesus, so now Jesus sends his followers to continuehis work. Put in another way, right from the outset Christianityhas been a missionary religion, asking that Christians tell othersof their experience of faith in God through Jesus. If that had notbeen the case the followers of Jesus would have remained a smallJewish sect in Palestine. Jesus' commission to his followers meantthat they knew they had to speak of their experience not just topeople nearby but to people in new places. It was in that spiritthat the apostle Paul went on his missionary journeys and that'sending out' goes on into our own day too.

To Ponder

A century or so ago, Britain used to be a countrythat 'sent' missionaries out around the world. To what extent couldit be said that we are now a 'receiving' country? What are theimplications of this change?

Do you think that being involved in mission is anessential part of what it means to be a Christian? Why?