Urban Missions Update & A Great Quote
Over the last week (and through most of this week), our small team has been incredibly busy. With the overlapping Spring Break in different provinces, we have been hosting several short term urban outreach teams here in Winnipeg. While I have primarily spent the time running the bookstore, it has been great to see these young Christians have their understanding of their missional responsibility explode with visionary possibilities. Keep us in prayer as we work to finish off the week.
Another ministry hosted hundreds of similar groups in the city last week as well. One of their activities was an urban scanvenger hunt, with The Dusty Cover being one location. As a result, we had our busiest day to date, with close to 200 people coming through, which was wonderful. In addition to hearing me give an overview of our vision at the store, they had to find a specific quote about justice (I have posted many throughout the store). The quote, one of my all time favourites, was from Lilla Watson, an Australian Aboriginal activist. When social workers came to her community, she responded:
"If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time. But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."
What does this quote mean to you?
How does it apply to the Church?
The word that comes to mind is "solidarity." (Comment this)
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)
Quite often, in the missional/missionary/helping world, those would "help," do so out of mixed motives. Some of those motives derive from a sense that the missionary or helper is "better than" (economically, theologically, ethnically, etc.) than those s/he helps. This has been tragically true of us First Worlders going out to the Third World (and I picked those terms for a purpose). In the West we consider ourselves to be from the "First" world ... we're first. Those in the less economically developed countries are in the "Third" world ... they're behind. See what subtleties language does?
Lilla is saying that we are all bound and in bondage. Everyone. It looks different on different people. When the "helpers" are ready to acknowledge that and understand that they are not "helping" anyone, but working out salvation together. That they are on an equal playing field, standing shoulder to shoulder with one another, then she is ready to greet them with open arms. Those people can truly help in ways that are of great benefit to all. (Comment this)
The quotation that you mentioned brings us back to seeing with impartiality and remembering that we are all a part of each other. If I think of the Body of Christ, then how can a finger claim that the body is free if a leg is still chained? (Comment this)
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)
Exactly! Even our best intentions are often coloured by a sense of moral, spiritual, economic, etc. superiority- rarely in a blatant arrogance, but rather in the more subtle paternalism through which we speak and serve.
This is true beyond serving the needs too. I was teaching on cultural contextualization last week. The group was really excited about people discovering Christ through the context of their own cultures. It was a good worldview shift. However, I had to remind them that, when contextualizing Christianity, we must be careful not to work under the assumption that our culture is the standard by which others are evaluated and contextualized.
Thanks!
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)
Peace,
Jamie (Comment this)