As the office door is closed for the last time in 2013
thoughts inevitably go to the year that has passed. One aspect of the year that is always a highlight are the
travels overseas.
March saw time in India.
Kolkata has now become a regular place to visit with its incessant
bustle of life and multitude of colour and noise. In the midst of all of this it is encouraging
to see Christians seeking to make Christ known, often in the face of extreme
poverty. Mizoram in the north east of
India, wedged between Bangladesh and Myanmar seemed a world away from Kolkata, with its
steep forested hillsides and peaceful Christian people worshiping Jesus in
their own unique way to the beat of a drum.
The community of Christ rightly takes many different forms and ways of
expression, and yet is one body.
From the peace of Mizoram, I travelled next to the
insecurity of central Asia, where living out the Christian faith looks very
different. Nevertheless, it is great to
see how folk are trying to make Christ known in this very different
context. Just as Jesus took on a very
particular cultural form in his incarnation, so folk here adapt to their
context while still seeking to remain true to their Christian faith and to
demonstrate his love, in acts of service and giving answer to the hope within
when asked.
In the summer I visited first Chile and then Peru, two
countries in a continent transformed by the Gospel over the past century. Here it was great to meet the diverse BMS
team working in places ranging from deep in the Amazon jungle to high in the Andes
mountains. The image of the church as
the body of Christ comes to mind with such diversity combined with a unity of
purpose and an interdependence of people.
Lastly in November I travelled to the county of Chad on the
edge of the Sahara desert to visit a Christian hospital in an area with a
minimal Christian presence. I was struck
by the sacrificial service of many people sharing God’s love by using their
medical skills and taking opportunity to pray together and with patients. Sometimes we speak of ‘integral mission’
where words and works go seamlessly hand in hand, and here in Chad, in the
middle of nowhere I found a fantastic example of this.
What a privilege it has been to see God at work
in so many different ways and varied places. As we
remember the incarnation of Christ at Christmas, we see him incarnate by his
Spirit today in the lives of ordinary people across the world. I'm looking forwards to seeing much more next year!
