Thursday, September 27, 2012

Hispanic Ministry Report to the RBA EXECOM


120927

Irvington Baptist Church, Irvington VA

When I sat down to write tonight’s report, it ended up being more of a devotional thought than an actual ‘REPORT report’, so, let me preface this by letting you know that, through the generosity of your churches, we were able to provide school supplies and backpacks to nearly one hundred children this fall, so thank you for that.

We continue to do what we’ve been doing all along – the food pantry, the clothes closet for newborns and babies, getting people to appointments – primarily pediatric appointments – as well as helping people get to court when that becomes necessary.

So … here we go:

12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
14What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? 15If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? 17So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

Over the past few weeks we’ve been going through the letter of James on Sunday mornings at Jerusalem. This passage was part of the text a couple of weeks ago, from the second chapter.

James makes us uncomfortable because of what would seem to border on a works-based message of salvation. It sounds like that might be what he is saying, but if we read the text closely, there is that all-important two letter word: IF. It sets up a conditional phrase – (is there an English teacher here? Is that the correct terminology?)  

Whether we are ministering to and in a community made up primarily of Anglos, or African Americans or Latinos – or whatever ethnicity might be present – this is something central to our identity as Baptist believers: what we DO comes out of who we ARE. More specifically, WHOSE we are. Our doing is in response to our understanding of our being the recipients of God’s grace. 

Doing has nothing to do with ATTAINING salvation. It has to do with responding in gratitude TO the saving action of God in Christ.

There’s a fundamental inversion of a rule by which the world operates. You earn what you get. You work for what you achieve.  That’s good and well for your general run-of-the-mill everything.

But it doesn’t apply when it comes to living out our faith and the REASON we live out our faith. Earlier in the letter, in chapter two, he writes this:

12So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty. 13For judgment will be without mercy to anyone who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.

What he is saying is that, when it comes to God’s action in the world in Jesus Christ, mercy, or love, trumps everything, including that ‘earning what you get’ rule.

Through your support of this ministry, what the RBA is allowing to happen is for that to be communicated in real and concrete ways to the folks who have not been exposed to that – either in their native culture, or in many instances in their religious tradition. One woman who is a faithful member of our community, and doesn’t measure much over 4 feet, 3 inches,  made the comment during one of our Bible studies at the beginning of August at Menokin church, “I didn’t grow up with a joy for the Lord. I never heard the message of the love that God has for us. THAT is why I so love being a part of this congregation!”

A final word, a quote from C.S. Lewis, my friend Randy Creath reminded me of them:

The rule for us all is perfectly simple. Do not waste time bothering whether you 'love' your neighbor; act as if you did. As soon as we do this we find one of the great secrets. When you are behaving as if you loved someone, you will presently come to love him [or her]." - C.S Lewis  

This being able to bring the message of grace and love that God has for us is a precious treasure. Thank you for allowing us to be the messengers.

Kenny and Leslie and the kids

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