In order to think about this mission in more concrete terms, let's use 21st-century American terms to describe God's mission. When we think "mission" in English, we sometimes think about a spy movie, perhaps with a dauntingly impossible task; however, that's probably not the best way to think about it. But when we think about God's "mission" we probably most often think about it as God's "goal". Our society is a goal-driven society, where children and adolescents are taught at a very early age to set up short-, medium- and long-term goals for themselves to guide them in life. In the workplace, we have goals (or quotas, or benchmarks) that are set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly. When we write out our résumés, we almost always add adjectives like "goal-oriented" to describe ourselves. Even at home we make a to-do list and seek to accomplish it in a certain way within a particular amount of time. Most of what we do in today's world is driven by goals. And lest we forget that goals are so important to our way of life, that when the New Year arrives, we set for ourselves a whole new set of life goals named "resolutions".
God's mission/goal is different from the way we handle goals in our world today. In fact, churches, pastors and entire denominations function much in the way I have just described above, but this is not how God's mission/goal works. You see, our missions and goals in life are typically crafted for a desired end result; that is, we set goals in order to reach a new milestone, an accomplishment, a new reality in which we are no longer overweight, we have sold a thousand more widgets, or have scored sufficiently high on the benchmark examinations. God's mission is a little different; whereas we think of missions and goals as a means to a desired end or achievement, God's mission is already promised to end in victory. It is really important that we understand that Scripture reveals to us truth that God wants us to have. Why on earth would we need to know about God's new heaven and earth in the future, its dimensions, its colors and shape, its creatures? Because God really wants us to understand that our mission as the church is not to reach an end goal or accomplishment; God has already guaranteed the end result of victory, and there is nothing we can do to change that outcome.
All too often in the church, we have come to the conclusion that we exist simply to carry out a series of goals, resolutions and quotas in our community: more members, more converts, more baptisms, more community involvement, more ministries, etc. This plagues the church today, as is evidenced by hundreds of new books being published every year to help pastors figure out how to bolster the numbers. Our problem isn't that we're turning ministry into numbers; it's that we've long ago turned our mission into a game where we're seeking specific results, even though the final outcome was determined so long ago.
So what is God's mission? What is the church's mission? God's mission is the church's mission, so in order to know one we must know the other. Whatever God's mission is, it is not an end result but rather a journey. If God is on a mission at all, and yet the "end" of this mission is already determined, then God must be concerned about the period of time in between now and that end. And since we don't have any idea when that end is going to come (probably not anytime soon, mind you), it reminds us that God's mission is likely to take place over a very long period of time, just as it has already for so long.
As we discussed on Sunday, and have learned in the church in the past, God's mission is fulfilled through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, both examples of when God decisively decided to be with us, and to enter into profoundly new relationship with us. In fact, we can largely deduce from Scripture and the world around us that the only reason we know anything about God is because God told us about himself, and wanted to be with us in the meantime. In my mind, the best answer for the question, "Why are we here?" is "Because God wanted to be with us."
In Isaiah 55 and 56, we learned that God's mission is to be with us and to gather us together, bringing everyone under his solemn covenant, first established with the Israelites and then with the Gentiles through Christ. This mission, however, of being with us in relationship and community, is not a mission that will actually have any "end" as it were; God's mission to us is an eternal mission, as God has already decided to be God with us for all eternity, and seeks to keep us in his presence forever. Yes, the world will have an "end" and a new heaven and earth is promised to us; but that doesn't end the mission! That is only one step in the eternal love and camaraderie that our Father in heaven has promised us.
Our mission as a church must have the same parameters. First, we cannot think of our mission as a set of goals to check off of a list. Now, is it sinful to have goals of any kind? No, I don't think so, at least not in earthly terms. God knows the utility of organization, forethought and passion: Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, came to earth to experience what it's like to be right here in our shoes! We in the church are allowed and encouraged to set goals and such to maintain certain regular operations, but the reason we exist at all is because God is already with us and simply wants to remain in relationship with us. Absolutely God wants more of his children in relationship with him, and it is part of our mission to reach out to others and gather them into the flock. But even reducing evangelism and outreach to a number, goal or quota is completely missing the point; what God desires more than anything is to be in relationship with us, not only today but every day, as he carries his mission out throughout the journey which is our life and eternity with him in paradise.
So then all of this begs the following questions:
1. What goals have I set for myself? Are they realistic? Why did I set these goals?
2. Do I desire a lifetime spent in a journey and relationship with God along the way? Is that a goal that ever gets "checked" off of a to-do list?
3. Why do I become upset at myself when I do not accomplish my goals according to my own plan? Do I hold anxiety or uncertainty or doubt about my future in God?
4. What is my mission, my reason for existing? Will it ever end?
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