Missiological musings; teaching, Easter and the Nature of God.
One thing we have been learning in our Introduction to Missiology course is that we gain a better understanding of the nature of God by reading the bible with a missiological hermeneutic. That is reading the bible with the glasses of mission on. In so doing we see that God is and has always been going out of Himself towards others. He has always been ‘missional’. We see it in the revelation of His triune nature as each member in turn loves, serves, honors and glorifies the other. We see it in Genesis 1 when God, not being content to dwell alone but breaking into the empty, dark and void created a beautiful universe in which man was placed as chief among all that is created and the primary recipient of His eternal love. So what’s this have to do with Easter and missiology?
Today as I think of Easter pain and suffering come to mind and then joy and glory. Jesus had to go through the garden, the acceptance of His Father’s will, the arrest, trial, sentencing, crucifixion and burial (at the hands of those He created to be the recipients and beneficiaries of His divine blessing) in order to come through to the joy, honor and glory of the resurrection. When I try and imagine God before creation I think God could have been quite happy existing for all eternity as Trinity with infinite ways to infinitely enjoy one another’s infinite goodness. He choose however to create a finite place where humankind would have the ability to cause the as yet pain free God pain, in order to experience the joy of one day having a freely deciding bride who has openly declared, “I love you!, seated by His side for a marriage supper where He, God, gets to be the groom and His blood bought bride, you and I, get to fully enjoy His delight in us. Pain, suffering then the glory, joy, smiles all around as the tears dry and our scars fade from memory.
Jesus says in John 20:21 “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” I experience discomfort in taking up the baton of teaching once again in the hours of reading and preparation, students texting while I am teaching, driving I-5 in the rain and that wonderful 405 – Alderwood Mall slow down. I experience the joy each week of being back in His word in a deeper way, of having my head and heart filled with thoughts of God’s passionate love for those far from the current preaching of the good news and His love for me and those I am blessed to teach, yeah class you bless me! Missions is a pain, going out of myself to another is uncomfortable, leaving my cocoon is not what my slothful human heart desires but not responding, not going out of myself towards another be that other far or near is death to the life of God in me. His life in me expands when I respond to His yearning in me to bless others through me. Even though it will always cost me something more often than not paid in the coin of death to some part of myself I am reminded that the return on investment is always more than worth it all. That’s the nature of God and missiology at its heart. This morning I drive North on I-5 to spend Friday afternoon getting to know some Muslims by joining them as they make their Friday afternoon prayers in a Bellingham Mosque. It’s just a tiny death to self. God only knows what might grow on the other side.
