Mission-Shaped Living

I’ve thought a lot about “Mission shaped church” (as opposed to church-shaped mission) since taking my first class with Christopher Duraisingh in January, 2010. 

Being Church in the 21^st Century, particularly the readings in the past two weeks have helped me expand my vision of mission-shaped living.

The way I live my life in every moment of every day is my answer to God’s call. I’m no slouch, but the people and groups I have encountered in this course make me realize that I could do so much more, here and now. 

I used to think that mission was a both/and: what I am doing now AND what I hope to do in the future as a pastor. What if what I plan to do in the future doesn’t enter into it? What if it’s entirely about how I live in each successive moment, living as if this moment is all the ministry I will ever have?  It isn’t about “doing” in the future, it’s about what I do and encounter every day, and, for me at least, letting go of anxieties and fears large and small. As Barbara Brown Taylor says, “[T]he lives God is calling us to are the ones that we are living right now.” Or, as Nelvin Vos writes, “Ministry isn’t always what we go and do. It’s about what we do as we go.” (Both these quotes are found on the “Quotable Quotes" page of the “Ministry in Daily Life” website:

http://www.episcopalchurch.org/mdl_3149_ENG_HTM.htm?menupage=30681

This makes me feel better about spending so much time listening to Japan’s 24 hour News Channel on my iPad. As the Jewish proverb states, “Joy shared is doubled. Sorrow shared is halved.”  Being “present” and praying is the best I can do for now, sending messages of support, along with providing financial support the people of Japan through my local church, and supporting them in other ways.

I joined SecondLife and made a avatar, but I get stuck when I try to go to worship. I left my avatar in the SecondLife Sancturay, but I can’t remember how to reconnect with her there.  I walk haltingly  in SecondLife.  It’s kind of a kick to be walking. I don’t think I can buy myself a wheelchair there and I wouldn’t want to spend the money on it if I could. I’ll try to attend worship at  SecondLife on Saturday. If I can’t figure out how to sit down or talk, I hope my presence won't be a distraction.

I had much better luck going to Cathedral in the Night, a new ecumenical ministry to street people in my community of Northampton, Massachusetts. The group began meeting in March  in the welcoming  front yard of my church. I was so glad I was there. Perhaps I’ll become a “regular.” I led the group in singing “Where You There When They Crucified My Lord?” after a woman started it who couldn’t remember anything past the second line of the first verse. Being able to jump in and help them finish the song felt like mission to me.

Studying and writing this post are mission. Is letting myself go to sleep so I can study, write, and be strong for God’s future also mission? Maybe I should not conceive of my objective as ordained ministry. Maybe it’s ministering into God’s unfolding future, which may include ordained ministry. Maybe if I simply do my part in this moment, the rest will fall into place. It’s like the old saying. “Be careful over pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves.”

In case you haven't seen it, Wayne Schwab and Elizabeth Hall’s Book, “When the Members are the Missionaries  will be helpful in working with churches, as the second part is about becoming a mission-shaped church.You can get a free copy at:

www.membermissionpress.org

In closing, here’s one of my favorite hymns about “moment by moment mission:

Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God, 
Fill every part with praise,
That my whole being may proclaim  
Thy being and Thy ways.

Praise in the common things of life,
Its going out and in;
Praise in each duty and each deed,

However small and mean.

Fill every part of me with praise;
Let all my being speak
Of Thee and of Thy love, O Lord,
Poor though I be, and weak.

So shall each fear, each fret, each care
Be turned into a song,
And every winding of the way
The echo shall prolong;

So shall no part of day or night
From sacredness be free;
But all my life, in every step
Be fellowship with Thee.

-        Horatius Bonnar, 1886, from Hymns of Faith and Hope

               

Grace and peace to you, dear friends, and much love. I look forward to seeing you in class. 

Blessings!

Denise