It's wet at Katoomba; wet like the whole east coast of Australia. We began the day yesterday by pausing to pray for those affected by the floods.
Volunteers braving the mud
The wet weather makes it difficult for everyone. But there are dozens of volunteers who with great cheerfulness spend their mornings on the mud-soaked parking oval directing traffic. There must be hundreds of other volunteers at Summer School - kids' program leaders, morning tea helpers, ushers, tech people, garbage removalists, and so many others enabling everything to happen here in Katoomba.
The large number of volunteers shouldn't surprise me: Christians who follow the Saviour are always putting themselves out to serve others. But it does surprise me; because we live in a world where people ordinarily only do things if they are paid to do them. Because I move amidst Christian community, I can so easily take for granted this gracious aspect of Christian character.
What we think is normal
Another thing that has struck me at every missionary session I attended was the vast resources immense blessings we enjoy in Sydney. We have so much here! All of the missionaries I have heard have said that most congregation members in Sydney churches are better equipped theologically than nearly every pastor in the different countries in which they serve. In Tanzania, for instance, most pastors barely have a primary school education, let alone a theological degree.
One missionary shared that people who spend time reading the Bible in his country are seen as un-spiritual because they do not just 'feel' the Spirit. Reading God's word, - and delighting and trusting in it as the clear revelation of God - is something that these local Christians have never even considered doing.
But while hearing of the challenges in under-resourced areas of the mission field, we have also heard of the power of the gospel of Jesus: report after report of people who have been gripped by the grace of God and whose lives have turned upside down. In one part of the world, a woman called Marion has decided to turn her back for good on a life-long, highly esteemed career in order to proclaim Christ to women - in a ministry situation where she must raise her own financial support.
With the challenge and encouragement of servants like Marion, there seems to be no choice but for each of us to think deeply and seriously about our involvement in worldwide mission.
A Bible study ambassador?
Each day at Summer School we are considering The Mustard Seed Effect. Based on Jesus' parable of the mustard seed, the Mustard Seed Effect challenges each of us to make a commitment to a small act of service in 2011, for the sake of the gospel. One of the options presented this week is to become a 'Bible study ambassador' - to be responsible for helping your Bible study group to pray regularly for a missionary.
As I think about our Bible studies, one of the dangers we have is to only be concerned for the group at the expense of working as a group to see the world won for Jesus. What an easy and appropriate thing it is to have your group adopt one or two missionaries to support through prayer to and to keep in touch with.
