But on to part 4 of mission and development (also see part 1, 2, and 3). We are looking for good biblical (theological) reasons why social justice or development should be seen as integral to our mission – not secondary, or a means to an end, but a central part of our mission.

We have looked at how the Kingdom is one of Shalom that Jesus comes to bring. But now we to ask ourselves the question (which one switched on person asked me a few Sundays ago): why do we not see more evidence of this Kingdom of Shalom in the world? So the paper we are reviewing continues:

The reign of God is hidden in history

We need now to reflect a little on the mystery of God at work in the world. God creates this world in shalom, and God is at work in it sustaining shalom – but everywhere is hatred, poverty, disease, pollution, and violence. Dwelling in shalom is not exactly how one would describe the experience of the people of the earth! To make sense of this is a profound matter in Christian theology that has to do with human freedom, sin and suffering; and here we can only touch briefly upon it by
reflecting upon the work of Jesus. Within the mystery of God’s work in the world, God allows Godself to be pushed off centre stage – so that the profoundest proclamation of God’s shalom is on a cross, on the dung-heap of Golgotha. Yet, we know that this was not the end; and God signalled God’s affirmation of what Jesus had witnessed to through the resurrection.

At the heart of Jesus’ work and ministry was the proclamation of the kingdom of God, or the reign of God. Where Jesus healed, freed, touched, proclaimed – where he manifested shalom, and restored life – there the reign of God was experienced; and in the victory over death on Easter Sunday morning the reign of God and the defeat of sin was signalled in the most profound victory of life over death. But we are still living in history, a time characterised by human freedom, sin and suffering. The reign of God manifest in Jesus Christ is glimpsed and experienced in many ways, but it is not yet fully established. The Bible tells us that this will only happen at the end of history, and that for now the reign of God is hidden in history – often found amongst the poor, in
weakness, suffering and powerlessness.

My Comment: Here we see the mystery of the God’s wisdom. At the very point when it seemed as though God’s purposes was defeated, was actually his greatest victory in the death of Jesus. Just now we look for signs of God’s kingdom and sometimes they are hard to find. We wait for the fullness of the Kingdom, God’s rule to fully brought about (say as described in Rev 21), but for now we look for “signs of the Kingdom”, those small indicators that God’s Kingdom is at work, rather like yeast in the dough.

We live in the midst of hope and pain, peace and conflict, brokeness and healing, good and evil, harmony and discord, live and death. Which of these do you see more of?

Tags: Development, Gospel, Kingdom, Kingdom of God, Missio Dei, Mission, Missional Church, Social Development

We have looked the nature of God activity being consistent with who He is (Part 1) and (in Part 2) how God is at work in the world to bring Shalom (“peace with justice”). Part 3 looks at role of Jesus in bringing “shalom”.

Jesus incarnates God’s work of shalom

The Scriptures tell us that this life of shalom was more often than not absent from the experience of the people of the earth – due to a falling away from God, creation and our neighbours through sin. The life created by God, too easily became sickness, suffering, oppression and death. The missio Dei involved restoring this shalom through the exodus of the slaves in Egypt, the granting of the Law at Sinai, the prophetic call for justice, and the restoration after Exile. But the workers in the vineyard did not heed these messengers. And so – as the parable has it (Luke 20.9- 16) – the owner sent his son. To understand Jesus within the sweep of what God is doing in history, and to recognise the links between the Old and New Testaments, we can simply state that as the incarnation of God, Jesus incarnates God’s work of shalom. This is what it means to call him “the way, the truth and the life”. The kingdom of God which he proclaimed and incarnated, is the kingdom in which this shalom is known and experienced.

With this in mind it is not difficult to see how the birth, ministry, proclamation, life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a profound proclamation of shalom. Christ is the peace of God, the bread of life, he who promises abundant life. The inner embrace of the Trinity finds expression in the physical embrace of Jesus. He goes to the lost and the outcasts, the marginalized and the excluded, and invites sinners, prostitutes, tax collectors, children, lepers and political rebels to his table. He brings healing to the sick, food to the hungry, sight to the blind, hope to the despairing, good news to the poor, life to the dead. In a system in which religious control legitimated this exclusion, Jesus undermines the whole judicial system, causes a religious and political scandal and hastens his own demise by proclaiming the forgiveness of sins in the name of the
God of life. Jesus makes clear what other parts of scripture testify, that God has a particular concern for those who suffer in the absence of shalom, those whom we call the poor.

My Comment: I am grappling to understand “shalom” … a Hebrew word that means so much more than peace … perhaps “wellbeing” or “wholeness” might sum it up better. It seems elusive, but significant. It is about my life now, and my hope for the future. What I am beginning to see is the scope of the gospel is far wider than I have previously understood. That is what I love about these couple of paragraphs: the good news of the Kingdom is all about alleviating “sickness, suffering, oppression and death“.

Tags: Development, Gospel, Kingdom, Kingdom of God, Missio Dei, Mission, Missional Church, Social Development

So here’s part 2 of a paper that I am reproducing every Sunday over 10 weeks. For the introduction to the paper, and for part 1, see this post. Suffice to say, that we looking at integrating mission and development (or social justice) by grappling with 10 theological thesis. Don’t be put off that word (we all do theology even if we don’t think we do!) – it is really looking at how we understand who God is (we looked at that last time) and what in the world He is doing!

God’s work in the world – missio Dei – is the work of Shalom.

We believe that God is at work in the world. God did not create the world and then abandon it, but rather chooses it as the arena for God’s work. We understand that the love of God that is known within the Trinity reaches out to embrace the cosmos in creation, and particularly to draw all the living creatures of our earth into a covenant of love and justice with God and themselves. Now this work of love and embrace we understand to be God’s mission – the missio Dei – and while it is witnessed to in many part of Scripture, such as the covenant with Noah and the Law of Moses, it finds its most profound expression in the vision of shalom that is found throughout the Bible.

Shalom is often translated as ‘peace’, but this is a very thin translation. For shalom is not just the absence of hostility, but ‘peace with justice’. It means dwelling at peace in all our relationships at four levels: with God, with creation, with other people, and with ourselves. And this being at peace is not just at an external uninvolved level, for it really involves an enjoyment of one’s relationship. It means to delight in serving God, to delight in our physical surroundings, to delight in community, and to delight in what it means for oneself to be a child of God. It is clear that at the heart of shalom is the life that God has brought into being, and the desire to ensure that it is respected, nurtured and enjoyed. God’s work in the world, the missio Dei, is therefore about creating and sustaining, and restoring it when it is absent. It is an integrated and holistic mission.

My Comment: Well, I could say that I have posted about this before. I could say that I have actually said it again here. But I won’t. I will content myself, in saying “I wholeheartedly agree”. I do think we need to widen our understanding of the scope of the good news to the whole cosmos. I think God’s plan is about the restoration of the whole of creation: animals, birds, fish, weather, environment, the earth, cities, nations, and of course individual people. But we have traditionally focused on the individual and their need for ‘salvation’ and lost sight of this wider, broader, bigger focus that is found here. And I think Shalom is a good word … you could restoration maybe … I fact I have used that for a long time, but now I think Shalom more completely sums up this restoration and redemption of all creation.

I find the levels of shalom presented here really helpful. It broadens my understanding of what God is doing and what He is wanting. All are needed, not just a focus on shalom in our relationship with God. The two that are not usually taught in our churches are dwelling in shalom with creation and myself. Am I at peace with my surroundings? with the environment? with all that I have? with my job? money? weather? And am I am peace with myself? Do I like myself? Or am I disappointed with myself? Or ashamed? Or hidden?

What do you think?

Tags: Development, Emerging Church, Gospel, Micah Network, Missio Dei, Mission, Missional Church, Social Development

“What does the Lord require of you? To act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

The paper gives 10 theological theses on why the church should be involved in the work of social development as part of our mission, defining social development as the “social, cultural, religious, ecological, economic and political activities that consciously seek to enhance the self-identified livelihoods of the poor.”

It is actually a pretty easy read & not too theological (for those of you who get frightened by such words). But it does clearly and excitingly portray the mission of God, and our co-operation with Him in this world we live in. Over the next 10 weeks, each Sunday, I intend to post one of the theological points made in the paper. If you are really impatient, you can download it here!

So Part 1 here …

God’s being and God’s acts are congruent

As a Christian undertaking, development finds its primary theological grounding in our understanding of God. And in doing so, we recognise that God’s being and God’s acts are congruent. In other words, there is a direct relationship between who God is in God-self, and how God relates to the world. This is no philosophical argument, but a statement of faith grounded in the scriptures, most simply in the recognition that because God is love, God acts in loving ways. For Christians, God is the Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is a profound conviction that is a statement both about God’s being and about God’s acts. In God’s being, God is a community of love, respect and equity. God is not a solitary person, but a relationship of dialogue and mutuality, in which we understand the Father, Son and Spirit all to have their specific work, but who are nevertheless one.

Now, if this is how we understand God’s very being, then we have a clear picture of how God will act in the world. Our faith is simply this: that God cannot act contrary to who God is. If God is community, dialogue, mutuality, equity – then this is how God is at work in the world.

My comment: I think this is a fundamental understanding. It seems to me that the so much disagreement in the church can be traced back to how we see God, and therefore how we see him acting in the world. God can only act consistently with who He is. I think the ultimate description of God is LOVE (other words are descriptors of what it means for God to be LOVE) and this is how I am now expecting and looking for God to be active in the world.

How do you see God? How do you see God at work in your life and in the world? Is there consistency or inconsistency between these two questions?

Tags: Missio Dei, Missional Church, Micah Network, Development, Mission, Social Development