TLDR: Both Fr. Steve and I are in the Dominican Republic this week, but we have been thinking about you and what you mean for us in our lives. Please read on for a brief reflection about why we are so far from you, among some of the poorest people we have ever met.
By the time you read this blog, Fr. Steve and I will have been in La Romana for four days. I have often wondered why people are so willing to leave the comforts of home to come to places like the poor villages we have visited this last few days. Who would willingly choose to travel, and in some case relocate permanently, to places without air conditioning, indoor plumbing, appropriate housing, or adequate healthcare? The answer, of course, is that Christ asks his disciples to preach the Gospel throughout the known world. Many Christians have found that the best way to preach the Gospel is by relocating to a different culture to befriend the locals until the right opportunity arises to share their faith in Jesus. For some others, we visit other cultures to see how God is working in the lives of brothers and sisters and to learn from their faith and experiences. There are two passages in the Acts of the Apostles that offer another possible answer. Acts 8:14 says, “When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria...” Acts 11:22 says, “When news of the growth of the church reached the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch”.
The reason why the Mother Church (Jerusalem) sent Peter and John to Samaria was to validate if the expression of Christianity in Samaria was legitimate and in accordance with Jesus’ teachings and the newly developed traditions of “The Way”, as the new church was called in those days. The Samaritan assembly had been found by Phillip, one of the first seven Deacons of the church who had been forced to flee Jerusalem after the martyrdom of Stephen (another Deacon) in the year 34 A.D. Peter and John questioned everyone, watched some of their prayer meetings, and witnessed firsthand how the Holy Spirit was working within this group of believers. When convinced that this was in accordance with the teachings of Jesus and the early Church, they imposed hands on all believers and welcomed them into the fold. Later, they shared the success of their mission to those in Jerusalem who rejoiced in what God was doing in Samaria.
The assembly at Antioch had also been planted by Jerusalem disciples who had escaped the city after the death of Stephen. Barnabas, like Peter and John, found an authentic expression of Christianity and experienced the work of the Holy Spirit among them. But he also identified a deficit: they needed teachers to continue to equip local leadership. In the year 46 A.D. he traveled to Tarsus and convinced Saul (later to be called Paul) to come and teach for a year at Antioch. After a year of a joint teaching ministry, the church commissioned both Barnabas and Paul to go on a mission to preach the Gospel through Asia Minor. This first missionary journey was followed by three more missions by Paul and Silas and at least one more by Barnabas and John Mark. Both the original missionaries to Samaria and Antioch, as well as Paul and his teams were responsible for the explosive growth of the Church in the first decades of the movement.
The point I am trying to make is rather simple. The Christian Church grew because people like us made the decision to travel somewhere to befriend strangers and to preach the Gospel. Now, it would be a mistake to believe that those missions were solely about “winning souls for Christ.” In fact, there was much more that was happening. People were helped, leaders were raised, marriages were strengthened, prayer for the sick took place everywhere the disciples of Jesus went, miracles were seen daily, and churches were planted. These were comprehensive missions in which relationships were built, and lives were saved.
The expression, “preach the Gospel everywhere you are, and when absolutely necessary, use words” has been attributed to Saint Francis of Assisi. What the expression implies is that every Christian is always preaching the Gospel whether they realize it or not. Our actions, our reactions, our facial expressions, our open-mindedness (or close-mindedness), what we buy, what we give, how we treat those less fortunate, the respect we show others... gives a message to the world. How we show up in various settings attracts people to Christ or repels them from him.
I once read an interview of Mahatma Ghandi where he said, “I might have contemplated becoming a Christian, if I ever met one.” A bit later in the same interview, he repeated, “If it weren’t for Christians, I’d be a Christian.” What an indictment from a man who had been trained in Western Universities and had lived among Christians for decades. What he meant, of course, was that the Christians he had met did not act like Christ. To be “of Christ” means to be a mirror where others can see the Messiah, even if you are not by nature a preacher or evangelist. I have met many joyful, charitable, honest, and self-giving Christians, and I always think, “I want what they have! I want their faith. I want the relationship they have with Christ!”
On the other hand, I have met many self-righteous, angry, racist, controlling, uncaring, and graceless Christians. I always wonder what the non-Christian thinks of them. Someone I know used to say, “If this is what being a Christian looks like, where do I sign up to become a Buddhist?” The truth is that Christ has no feet or hands in this world, other than our feet and our hands (and our mouths). All of us are preachers, whether we realize it or not. The world watches how we behave, how we treat the least and the lost among us, how we relate to each other, and what we say. Each of us represents Christ.
Fr. Steve and I are thinking about you today. We are grateful for you and the role you play in our lives. We invite you today to think about your Christian example as a tool Christ can use to bring others to him. May he continue to bless you. Amen!
A PRAYER FOR THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH
O God, you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth, and sent your blessed Son to preach peace to those who are far off and to those who are near: Grant that people everywhere may seek after you and find you, bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit upon all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (BCP).
Fr. Roman +
