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He was pressed on every side by the crowd that followed him, feet shuffling in the dust, cloaks tangled into one massive body that moved quickly along the road. His mission was important and time was of the essence. A little girl was dying and he was her only hope of survival.
But somewhere along the way he stopped, turning at a certain touch, a slight pull on his cloak. A woman in need lay in the dust before him, hands desperately grasping for healing. He stopped, giving her his full attention, praising her for her faith, healing her where she lay. Perhaps unsure of what had occurred, the crowd urged him forward and he continued with his mission. He would eventually arrive at the bed of the dying girl, and she would live.
Like most aspects of religion and spirituality, the term “mission work” has been labeled with many misconceptions. When we think of Christian missionaries, the initial image that springs into our head is that of people wandering the jungles of Africa or the third world streets of Asia, preaching the name of Jesus to people who have never heard his name. Though we recognize the term “missionary” can apply to anyone, including local evangelicals, this image of the lonely wanderer remains fixed in our minds.
So when we try to equate this image with community service projects, we run into a problem. Suddenly we have to question whether this kind of spirituality has a place in such a universal act as service. After all, it is clear no particular religion holds an exclusive claim to the basic act of serving others.
To bring some context to this question, consider the upcoming Project Serve. Next week hundreds of students will travel across the nation and into Latin America as part of the Pepperdine Volunteer Center’s annual outreach mission. While many enjoy a relaxing Spring Break after midterms, these students will be devoting their time and energy to specific service opportunities.
None will question the value of building a house in Florida, teaching English to children in the Dominican Republic or working at a homeless shelter in Seattle. But does spirituality bear any relevance to such acts? Even in the case of Pepperdine’s Project Serve, it is quite possible that some participants do not share the Christian beliefs of their team members.
So how can one suggest mission work is a natural aspect of community service? For starters, by taking a closer look at the meaning of the term.
What exactly is the Christian mission? For our purposes here, we can refer to it simply as the effort to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with an unsaved world. By this simple definition, it becomes quite clear that in order to share such a message, in order to serve such a mission, one must believe the gospel of Christ, must have a personal faith that drives him or her in such a direction.
Logically this makes sense, for the same reason that one would not personally endorse a product unless he or she believed in its quality or usefulness (or at least, in the media-saturated world of today, this is what we would like to believe). Regardless, the point stands. And so the thought of non-Christians being placed in a situation in which they must share Christianity is absurd.
Or at least that would seem the case, until we realize something crucial to the understanding of Christianity – its truth is not dependent upon ourselves.
Christians are called to actively serve as living witnesses to the truth that saves them, in the hopes of showing others the power and necessity of the redemption found in Christ alone. But when it comes down to it, the essence of that truth is not dependent upon the efforts of mortal beings. It supercedes both “service” and “mission work” by branching from the uncontainable being of God.
In other words, God is not contained by our actions. He will speak and move according to his holy will. Whether we mention his name while serving food to the homeless, or instead silently nail in place the wooden frames of a house, God is equally present and equally capable of using our actions for his purposes.
While Christianity may not be mentioned in a particular act of service, the spirit behind both remains the same. Mission work is therefore an inescapable element of service, and continually at work no matter the actions of the participants.
The man walking among the crowd was not attempting to save the woman who fell before him. In fact, he was urgently wanted for an entirely different task. And yet the woman was healed, right there on the road.
Is it right to inextricably link spirituality with the physical act of helping others? Should the Christian mission be an integral part of service regardless of the personal faiths of those involved?
Just as our actions have no bearing on the existence of truth, our view of these questions does not determine their answers. The question at hand is no longer one of contention, but of recognition.
The Christian mission is to serve, and therefore to serve is to walk the road of the man in a crowd.
Submitted February 26, 2004
MALIBU, CA
