Previous Reflections
REFLECTIONS
August 23, 2009
so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
Romans 12:5-6
Commissioned to Ministry
One Sunday Faith stood before the congregation to be commissioned as a missionary to a foreign land. Many of us laid hands on her and prayed for her health, safety, and success in her calling. But my thoughts reached beyond those.
My thoughts were on the specific mission she is called to. It is different than most, yet it is as important to the cause of Christ as any of the traditional ones. Faith is called to be a math teacher, and her mission in the foreign land is to teach the children of other missionaries. Hers is not a front line job, but how important it is. She will serve children that otherwise might not have the educational quality parents desire for their children. Support services like Faith’s will encourage others to answer calls to carry the message of Jesus Christ to the world.
As Faith was commissioned, I thought about other jobs required to support those who teach the Gospel message. I thought also of all the lands in the world in need of the message of God’s truth, and I can think of no land without need of it. The Gospel must be told and retold in foreign lands, but it also must be told in our own communities, our own neighborhoods, and in our own homes. The job is never ending, and we are all part of it.
I am reminded of a conversation with a friend. “How many ministers should we have in our church?” he posed then quickly responded with the answer to his own question, “Something like 3,000 I believe.” His reference was to our church community and that we all are commissioned to ministry. Often, however, it seems unclear that our everyday jobs can be a service to God.
It is clear to Faith. She is a math teacher. The only difference between Faith and another math teacher, or bus driver, or custodian, or nurse, is where she is called to be. Each of us is a part of the body of Christ. We are not all called to be messengers of the Gospel; but we are all commissioned to ministry. If we are not messengers ourselves, in some way we support those who are.
No matter what our jobs may be or where we perform them, our work can serve God’s kingdom. And wherever we are, we can always allow the love of Christ to shine through our lives.
“You are the light of the world.”
RichardÌ
Click here for Printer Friendly Version