The Birds, the Bees, the How and the Why

In one of my favorite episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond Ray tries to explain "the birds and the bees" to his daughter Allie.  He does this, of course, because he is trying to prove to his wife Deborah that he is a good father and husband and really wants to help out with their kids. The problem is that Deborah and Ray thought Allie was asking about how we are born, when her question was really about why we are born.  In other words, Allie wanted to know why we are here on earth in the first place.  What is the meaning of life?  

This, of course, is even more difficult for Ray to talk about than the birds and the bees, so he fakes a sneezing fit and leaves the room! Thus begins a hilarious and intriguing conversation with all adult members of the family on what exactly the answer to Allie's question is.

Like Allie, at heart, we all long for purpose. We all want to know what the meaning of life is, or at least, what the meaning of life is for us.  As those who have been created in Christ Jesus to do good works God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph 2.10), we are God's workmanship and we have a mission.   Sometimes, however, we can get a little too hung up on mission statements.  Now, of course, we at ECC do have a mission statement, so permit me to talk out of both sides of my mouth for a moment or two.  Our mission statement is:

To Know God, Follow Jesus and Pursue God's Purposes in the World.

Years ago, however, church consultant and author Len Sweet said that he didn't think we really needed to put a lot of time into mission statements since Jesus has already given one to us.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it, in other words.  And, for the most part, I agree.  However, our intent in the mission statement was (as I think most good ones are) an attempt to abbreviate Jesus' statement, to shorten it while still calling to mind the mission on which God in Christ has sent us in its fullness.  At ECC we believe Jesus gives us three parts of our mission in two great statements from the gospels, the Great Commandment and the Great Commission:

"The most important [commandment]," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'  The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'  There is no commandment greater than these." (Mark 12.29-31, NIV)

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  (Matthew 28.19-20, NIV)

Love God, love people and make disciples.  The call to make disciples flows out of the commandment to love God and love our neighbors.  It just doesn't get any simpler than that.  Our mission statement, quoted earlier, is an attempt to boil Jesus' words down into different language, but we are trying to say the same thing.  Knowing God, following Jesus and pursuing God's purposes in the world is one way to express what loving God, loving others and making disciples looks like in the world.  There are other ways to say it, of course, but this is our way of summarizing Jesus' Great Commandment and Great Commission.

In this week's Mission Briefing you were invited to write your own mission statement in paragraph form.  This was not an attempt to get us to memorize our own "mission statement" and get us all "hung up" on mission statements, as I mentioned above.  It was an attempt to get us thinking about Jesus' mission for each of us in practical ways, day in and day out.  If you haven't already done so, I encourage you to give 5-10 minutes thinking about why God put you here in the first place.  Perhaps you might try to write your statement by considering how you would answer the question if one of your children, future children, grandchildren, nieces or nephews asked you about the meaning of life.  What would you say to them?  How would Jesus' mission statement take shape in your life in a way that even a child could understand what is most important? Would you have an answer or would you have to feign a sneezing fit and leave the room?

Peace,

Pastor Stacey