As a boy growing up in an evangelical denomination, my favorite services
were the missionary services. We had them periodically. You would
know it was for real, because at the back of the church there would be a
table set up with a fantastic display of ornaments and artifacts from
the "mission" field. The missionary would be sporting some unusual
clothing typical of the people group he was serving. There would be a
slide projector set up in the nave, with some men working desperately to
get the screen set up and the projector focused, working out all the
technical difficulties before the service was to start. The service
would begin normally then the pastor would turn the service over to the
missionary. If he was a particularly gifted story teller, which most
were, I would sit enraptured for the duration. Story after story would
be told, of the harsh living conditions, the dangers from bandits or
thugs, the culinary tastes of the people group. The stories would be
enhanced by the slides showing real scenery, real people, beautiful
people, pitiful people, and of course children- lots of children. One
missionary I remember actually had mastered the use of a blow gun and
stuck a dart into a wicker basket as a demonstration. The service would
always close with a special offering taken up and prayer cards. I
would leave the service, wishing God would call me to be a missionary.
You could imagine my disappointment when He called me to be a pastor.
Just a "plain
ol' pastor."
Was I in for a
surprise.
What I did not realize then as I do now, that the United States has
become a mission field, and difficult one at that. Missionary is not a
term that should be limited to foreign missionaries. What makes a
missionary, is not where he/she is called to serve, but rather the
heart, the spirit in which that service is rendered. What is the
difference between a Foreign missionary and a domestic missionary? That
the domestic missionary gets to enjoy to comforts and luxuries of
staying in the United States? Not hardly. The main difference is just
what I related in the story above. I have yet to get invited to a
church to share about the work God is doing in Casey County Kentucky. I
could bring in slides. I could have a display "native" artifacts, tell
good stories about the unique customs and culinary tastes of the people
I serve, but it would not have the same effect. It's all too normal,
too close to home. You see the real difference between home and foreign
missions, is not what we do, or even why we do it. It's not the amount
of sacrifice. It's not the cost, or the difficulty of the task. The
real difference is how the work is perceived by the world around us and
sometimes even the church at large.
As "domestic missionaries" we
must not get discouraged by this. Instead let us with full resolve
press on in the obscure little corner of the field where God has sent
us. Know that the work that you are doing will probably not make the
press, and you probably will not be invited to some larger affluent
church to tell your story. That's OK though, because you don't really
have time for it anyway. Remember a true missionary is characterized by
selfless ambition to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who
have not yet heard. It doesn't matter if anyone notices. For our
sake, it is probably better that way, lest we become puffed up with
pride, or start playing to the crowd for more applause. Instead
remember whom it is that you serve. Be faithful in the field you are
working in. And if by chance someone does notice, remember that you
are only doing what is your duty.
(this post was taken from the September 2008 Bread and Sawdust, the blog of recently named Father General Coadjutor of the MSJ. Fr. Lemmon serves as Rector of Christ the King Anglican Community - Liberty, KY)
