Let’s face it when many of us hear the "Great
Commission" in (Matthew 28:16-20), we may not feel inspired or encouraged but instead, just a little
guilty. Why? We somehow do not perceive ourselves as being called or sent to
bear witness to our faith and perhaps, feel ill-equipped to do so. So
when we hear Jesus' instructions we are reminded of one more thing we should,
do regurlarly, but often do not … a sure recipe for guilt.
As adults, much of our identity is related to our areas of competence -- at work, at home, in volunteer activities or hobbies. When we find ourselves in situations where we do not feel competent, our anxiety levels escalate. (Psychologists tell us, that this is why adults have a hard time learning a new language or musical instrument; it's not that our brains are too old or incapable of learning something new; it's that we don’t like feeling incompetent and quit before we even make any progress.)
How often have we been invited to make connections between our faith and our daily lives or to share that faith with others? Perhaps it’s because we’ve rarely have been asked to do this even within the safe confines of church let alone in a more “threatening” setting, outside the church walls. It’s just that we don't feel competent to fulfill anything remotely resembling Jesus' Commission.
These few short verses in today’s readings summarize our “Great Commission” and are an important text as it relates to our faith. Unfortunately, they are often assigned as readings on Trinity Sunday and often get lost in the mystery of “dogma.” While the readings proclaim the supreme authority of Jesus, as being one with the Father and having no earthly equal, they remind us that we are “commissioned” to love one another as Jesus did and assure that God, through the life of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, is with us until the end of time.
As adults, much of our identity is related to our areas of competence -- at work, at home, in volunteer activities or hobbies. When we find ourselves in situations where we do not feel competent, our anxiety levels escalate. (Psychologists tell us, that this is why adults have a hard time learning a new language or musical instrument; it's not that our brains are too old or incapable of learning something new; it's that we don’t like feeling incompetent and quit before we even make any progress.)
How often have we been invited to make connections between our faith and our daily lives or to share that faith with others? Perhaps it’s because we’ve rarely have been asked to do this even within the safe confines of church let alone in a more “threatening” setting, outside the church walls. It’s just that we don't feel competent to fulfill anything remotely resembling Jesus' Commission.
These few short verses in today’s readings summarize our “Great Commission” and are an important text as it relates to our faith. Unfortunately, they are often assigned as readings on Trinity Sunday and often get lost in the mystery of “dogma.” While the readings proclaim the supreme authority of Jesus, as being one with the Father and having no earthly equal, they remind us that we are “commissioned” to love one another as Jesus did and assure that God, through the life of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit, is with us until the end of time.
So how do we go
about developing competence in living the Word and grow in our
confidence to share our faith? Perhaps it starts with moving to a more
participatory style of Christian formation in which we reach out to one
another, inviting our hearers to do more than just hear but to respond to the
word proclaimed and revealed in our daily lives. With time and practice our
competence and confidence will grow and we will be inspired to share and
proclaim the Word with our own by our actions.
We can't afford to
wait until we are perfect and conditions are optimal to become disciples.
Perfection is not consistent with our humanity and the enemy of the good. Our
journey begins with one single step and with the grace of the Holy Spirit, we,
in time, we will become the Word in all that we are and do. “For each tree is
known by its own fruit…Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my
faith by my deeds.” (Matthew 7: 16)
No comments:
Post a Comment