Do we still have a mission?
The Gospel of Matthew concludes with this commandment of Jesus Christ. It’s not so much a commandment as it is a commission, a sending out of the church to bring salvation to all peoples. Thus the verse is commonly called the Great Commission.
Two thousand years later, where do we stand with this commission? We are good at baptizing “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. But how are we doing at going and making disciples? Not so good, I’m afraid. As a matter of fact, as soon as the church became an arm of the Roman Empire back in the fourth century disciple-making became almost an afterthought. Disciples would be made by osmosis! We baptize babies and adults and hope that they would somehow become faithful disciples of Christ “by osmosis”. Unfortunately, the osmosis doesn’t happen as frequently as we might hope or wish. And without disciples, the church becomes a cultural relic.
Last Sunday we rejoiced to have our Metropolitan Methodios with us for Liturgy. Later, over lunch, he shared with a few of us the conviction that the church needs to be missionary again. And that is exactly what the church needs to be if it is to be the church and not a cultural relic. To be a missionary church doesn’t only mean sending out missionaries to other parts of the world. The primary missionary field is right here in our own country and especially our own state of Maine. Maine ranks number 50 – right at the bottom – among the 50 states in church participation. We are the least churched state in the country! And I can say that our Holy Trinity Church fits right in with the reputation of our state.
Missionary is not the same as outreach. Outreach can mean anything you want it to mean. Missionary is a precise Christian word, and it comes straight out of the verse highlighted today. There are three active verbs in Matthew 28:19 – “go”, “make” and “baptize”!
Go! Move, get out of the narrow suffocating confines of escapist and cultural religion. See what the real world is all about and engage with the world. Learn how people are living their lives, what they fear, what they hope for in their lives, what are their aspirations, what are their beliefs or non-beliefs. And no, this is not just the job of the priest. It is the job of every Christian.
Make disciples! Oh wait, how are we to make disciples of others when we ourselves are not disciples? Good point. So the work starts within each of us. The kingdom of God is within you – and among you – Jesus told us. Inside each of us is a seed of the kingdom of God, of the glory of God. Discipleship begins with recognizing who you are as a child of God, as a child of eternity – and how you live your life accordingly. Discipleship means living the life that honors the lordship of Christ. Is Jesus Lord in your life? If yes, you are a disciple, and you are empowered to go out and make other disciples. Don’t worry, the Lord will do most of the work. But you have to GO!! You’re not going to make disciples by sitting at home or in a pew.
Baptize! That is an official function of the church, of course. But every one of us can bring someone to baptism. If you have ever been a godparent, do you realize how serious it is to be a godparent? It’s not just a cultural thing, a social expression or obligation, a photo op. It is a profound spiritual act. And it should be the primary means by which any Christian can make a disciple! That’s right, make a disciple of that baby or adult whose baptism you are sponsoring or enabling. Assuming, of course, that you who are acting as a godparent are a disciple yourself!!
How are we ever going to be the missionary church His Eminence wants us to be if we don’t begin with the most visible, most common form of missionary work that already exists and which most of us undertake at one point or other in our lives – namely, being godparent at a baptism? It is an honor to be a godparent. But it’s much more than an honor. It is a mission. Let’s start treating it as such. Otherwise, the church has no mission, except to preserve a legacy and Greek culture. And that’s not a missionary church.