Impact through Immersion

The Mission of the Church: Whatever the church is, whatever we are supposed to do and be, there is one thing for certain- the church is supposed to have an impact on the world. Christ did not say to his disciples, “Huddle up together and weather the storm.” Instead he expected his disciples to be a light unto the world. He expected his disciples to feed the hungry, heal the sick, fight for those who cannot fight for themselves, and above all, MAKE MORE DISCIPLES! He expected those that follow him to not only grow in their relationship to God and one another, but also to help others find God, and grow in their own relationships, embarking on their own journey with other disciples. This is the basic mission of the church. It is why the church exists.

But how is this best done? Obviously the church is struggling in this area. Fewer new people are becoming part of the church every year, and more and more Christians are only claiming their faith in a superficial way. Among those that do attend church, it seems like fewer and fewer are experiencing real life change.

In addition, American communities are decaying. In fact, the very idea of community seems to be fading from American life. Family structures are crumbling. Drug and alcohol abuse (especially among young people) is rampant. Neighborhoods are being abandoned, along with the children and youth that are stuck there. Violence is everywhere. And let’s not even talk about materialism. In America it seems that somehow individual freedom, choice, and financial success have become our only goals, replacing ideas like ‘the common good’ and ‘community’ and ‘faith.’ How is the church supposed to react? How are we to be a light and make disciples in all this mess? How do we participate in God’s redemption of creation?

Please don’t think I am picking on America. I speak of America not because it is worse than other places, but because this is my home. America is the place where I live, and if the church cannot be a light here, then what is the point?

I think, if we only look to our scriptures and our theology, we can find a simple answer. Note I say ‘simple’ rather than easy. I don’t think being a light in the darkness has ever been easy. Surely it wasn’t for Jesus. But it was fairly simple- immersion.

God, in love and grace, decided that redemption required immersion. In Jesus God entered our mess. He chose to immerse himself in the human condition, with all its pain and frailty. He chose to give up his status as God to become low, a servant to all. In order to communicate God’s love, Christ immersed himself in our lives, and God joined us in our struggle. And through this, redemption began.

Perhaps it is our role to live with the mind of Christ (I think that was written somewhere). Could it be that the best way to be a light in the darkness is to follow Jesus’ example, and become immersed in the places that need God’s love. Perhaps we need to live where the hurting live. Maybe we need to become part of those neighborhoods that the world abandons. I truly believe that to have an impact on the world, to be a light in the darkness, the church must begin to reclaim the desert places, whether inner city streets or corporate board rooms. God, in wisdom and grace, chose to immerse himself completely in the human condition, being in the world and not of it. This sacrificial act was and is the key to redemption. How might we (I) live in Christ’s image and follow that example in the world today? And how might this sort of ‘following’ help us mature in our own spiritual walks?