Subversive Mission Statements
“To inspire moments of optimism and happiness... To create value and make a difference.” (Coco cola)
“Our mission is to make delicious feel-good moments easy for everyone.” (McDonalds)
“Our mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more.” (Microsoft)
: “to bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, businesspersons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.” (apple)
“to organise the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful” (google)
“Our purpose is Helping New Zealand Business win, because when business wins, we all win.” (advertising agency)
- “to provide the most professional, simple and affordable eye care every day to our community.” (my optometrist)
“to enrich the lives of New Zealanders through golf.” (golfing nz)
Churches & para-church organisations too have mission statements - this is one from a nearby church “partnering with God to generously transform lives and society into the likeness of Christ in Tauranga, New Zealand and the world”
Anglican Care Waiapu - “living the gospel through loving service”.
All these statements are aspirational, some quite lofty, some broad and others very specific.
What we find in the gospel reading today is Jesus’ mission statement and what we see through the rest of Luke’s gospel is Jesus living out this mission statement.
Mission comes from the latin missio meaning “to send” and was originally used by the Jesuits in the 16th century meaning to send abroad and referring to organised efforts for the spreading of religion. Over time it has gained meanings including an organisation of missionaries (sent ones) and an operation or task assigned by higher headquarters - here we think of military missions or the space mission. In recent years it has taken on something of the raison d’etre - statement of purpose or vision - the reason why one is sent or called to this place or organisation. These days consultants are sometimes paid exorbitant amounts to come up with a mission statement or one might spend hours in discussion on possible mission statements in a focus group.
Jesus got his mission statement straight out of the Old Testament, from the book of Isaiah. Interestingly while Luke tells us Jesus was reading from the scroll if we check back to Isaiah 61 where most of this comes from we find Jesus omits a couple of lines and adds in a line from Isaiah 58. This suggests Jesus had meditated over and over on these servant songs from Isaiah - this wasn’t just a spontaneous outburst - it was an understanding he had come to over time.
Sometimes we partition the scriptures - the old testament is about God - creator, king and judge, the gospels about Jesus and The Acts and epistles more about the Holy Spirit. When we do this we do a disservice to scripture - read those early chapters of Luke one day and just count how often Spirit or Holy Spirit occurs in this gospel. Jesus was filled with the Spirit and it was empowered, inspired, energised, driven by the Spirit that Jesus began his ministry.
We also hear people talk about not needing church for their Christian faith, but if we claim to be followers of Jesus it was clear that attending worship with his faith community was important to him, it was something he made a priority “he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom”.
Jesus understanding of his mission and purpose developed in a worshipping community, on the basis of familiarity and a deep understanding of the Scriptures and in the power of the Spirit.
“He has anointed me to bring good news to the poor…
sent me to proclaim release to the captives…
recovery of sight to the blind…
let the oppressed go free…
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour”
Here is Jesus’ first recorded sermon - first public words of the adult Jesus - after he read the scripture his first word was TODAY - today this is fulfilled, today this is true - Jesus didn’t preach “pie in the sky when you die” Jesus words and actions were for today for now.
In first century Palestine the poor included the economically poor but included many others as well - the marginalised, the excluded, the underprivileged, the despised - it was to these that Jesus was sent above all to bring good news. Sometimes when we deal with the marginalised in our society we are the bad news - “if only you would change” we say “perhaps if you’d made better choices…” even “I can help you change” these can sound like bad news to the hearer. We need to ask ourselves the question what does good news sound like to this person - perhaps “you are profoundly loved and accepted” perhaps “can I sit with you and listen to you?”
In our Anglican liturgy there is a dismissal at the end of worship - this is a compulsory part of the liturgy, not optional. Today you will hear “Go in peace”.
What Jesus did in the synagogue was announce his mission - it was when he left that we saw the mission being enacted. When he left the synagogue he brought release to those who were captive and oppressed by illness and demonic power.
Jesus went out and spoke truth to power to bring about release - this included challenging both political and religious authorities of his day. Jesus’ mission was not without cost - challenging those in authority lead to his execution. For Jesus, part of preaching the good news to the poor was speaking truth to power about the lack of equity, the problems of injustice and oppression. This is part of what we are doing in the Anglican apology here in Tauranga - we are listening to those who are victims of oppression and injustice and we are advocating with and on behalf of them to those in power.
The final part of the mission was to “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” - this is clearly referring to the year of Jubilee - harking back to the book of Leviticus with all those pesky rules. The year of Jubilee was about justice and equity - in our society today there is a rapidly growing gap between the rich and the poor - Jubilee challenges that - in the Jubilee year slaves are set free, property and land are returned - justice and equity are restored, the land rested. This was a holy year, a sabbath year, a year of celebration - this is what good news sounds like to the poor and the oppressed. It’s time for Jubilee said Jesus - today this has been fulfilled.
Now that was Jesus’ mission - we might say to ourselves - what has that to do with us? The wisdom of the lectionary writers put this gospel message alongside Paul’s wonderful hymn on unity and diversity. Sometimes we focus on the diversity of our gifts and talents and how all are important today I want to shift the focus a little. Paul makes it clear who he is talking to in v 11 - it is the baptised - “for in the one Spirit we were all baptised into one body … and we were all made to drink of one Spirit” and in v 27 he declares “you (the baptised community) are the body of Christ and individually members of it”. If we the baptised community are the body of Christ and the mission of Christ was elucidated in our gospel reading then we need to re-read that mission statement because it applies to THIS community.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon you, the community of St John’s Ōtumoetai to bring good news to the poor…” - The mission of God for the body of Christ is not about what we do as private individuals - it is together that we are the body of Christ. This is not some vague aspirational mission statement - it is Spirit-inspired and Spirit-empowered, it is good news, it is practical - it is for those around us who are poor, oppressed, marginalised and excluded. It is not “pie in the sky when you die” it is now. The mission is about what we do when we leave, we are sent and our response is “Amen we go in the name of Christ”
Loving God
the mission is yours
thank you for inviting us to partner with you in this mission
thank you for empowering us with your Spirit
Open our eyes to see the poor to whom, with you, we bring the good news
Help us to be and speak good news
Help us to spread truth and true vision
Give us courage to speak truth to power
Your world needs wholeness, freedom, justice, equity, vision and community
And your mission is about bringing all this about.
We long to participate in that joy of the Lord that is Jubilee
We commit ourselves to your mission
in the name of Christ our liberator
Amen.
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