As
we celebrate the 115th year of publication, the 2007 Mission
Yearbook
for Prayer & Study will feature stories about how members
of Presbyterian congregations celebrate multicultural diversity
in their midst. The theme is “People will come from east
and west” (Luke 13:29). These words attributed to Jesus
Christ are recorded at the conclusion of a series of sayings
and parables about the kingdom of God in Luke’s Gospel:
the mustard seed, a fig tree, leaven in a loaf of bread. These
words also come within the context of Jesus saying, “Some
are last who will be first and some are first who will be last.”
The community of believers grows and changes in surprising ways.
Some who are considered distant will draw close and some who
may have assumed a place of prominence will drift away.
So it is with the stories of our own corners of Christendom.
The gospel takes root and grows in ways beyond anything we could
have imagined. Communities heretofore unseen suddenly enter
the story. People come to our communities of faith from east
and west and north and south, and our mission and identity are
transformed in remarkable ways.
As we share stories of mission for the 2007 Mission Yearbook,
we may ask: What are the patterns of migration and settlement
that created the original context of mission and ministry in
our congregation’s setting? How have those patterns changed
through the years? Who are the people who have come into our
lives most recently? How have they challenged and enriched our
sense of mission? How is God calling you to respond to the changing
needs of your community and the potential for mission connections
around the world?
Both Mission Yearbooks illuminate for us how interrelated
we are in our presbyteries, synods and with our partners in
mission. When we take the time to help our children pray and
study as part of their everyday life discipline, they are able
to make a link between their individual faith practice and the
mission of the church. We all can make connections with those
in mission worldwide and begin new relationships. We all are
able to be a part of the church’s mission through our
daily spiritual practice. |
