Thought For The Week 5 November 2023

If you heard me say ‘mission’ in church, I wonder what images come to mind. Perhaps you may think of evangelism, sharing the good news of  Jesus with others or nurturing others in the faith. Maybe, when you hear the word ‘mission’ you think of caring for others, letting the light of Christ shine through our actions. Perhaps the word ‘mission’ inspires you to care for our earth, working for the renewal of God’s good creation. Or, maybe when you hear ‘mission’ you are motivated to work against oppression and injustice. All of these are part of the many faces of God’s mission we are invited to participate in. Something  interesting about all these examples is they all involve doing something. We can think of ‘mission’ as a job that needs doing. We have phrases like ‘mission accomplished’ to  indicate we have achieved something.

From August to October, a small group in our parish has been exploring ‘mission’ in a slightly different way. Our group’s goal was to do nothing, except walk around our neighbourhoods and listen. Listen and observe for what God may be doing in our community, or wanting to draw our attention to. Perhaps that sounds a bit vague. I thought so initially. But we’ve been learning that listening and observing are not as    passive as they sound. They are a vital part of mission. God has a habit of working with people as he finds them and is already ‘out there’ doing stuff, working in people’s lives. He invites us to listen, to look, to see what he is doing, and then to join in and work with him.

Perhaps, next time you’re out for a walk or find yourself sitting with some time to yourself. Look around and have a ‘listen’. God wants to show us his love for our community.