And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Hebrews 10:24-25
Perhaps it is a missionary’s perspective, but it is difficult to see this call as direction to Christians merely toward their own congregations. The “Church” as would have been understood at the time when the Epistles were written was not so much an institution but rather a series of tiny communities strung across the Eastern Mediterranean. It was a body of believers stretching from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
The Book of Acts makes plain that one who claimed Jesus as Lord was seen as a brother or sister, regardless of language or trade, place of origin, or skin tone. It was a trope in several old movies to portray Christians in strange port cities squatting down to scratch a fish in the sand. It’s an image that describes a fellowship whose members reached out to each other across the distances and boundaries of the Roman Empire. It also reflects the extended hand of welcome offered to sojourners and strangers to offer “love and good works.”
As sojourners and strangers here in Uganda, we ourselves have received this gift of welcome again and again from our new neighbors. The word commonly used to describe us is the Bantu word mzungu. While it has come to mean “white person,” originally it meant “someone who roams around” or “wanderer.” It came to be applied to Arab, Indian and European traders and explorers in the 18th century, strangers who were seen moving around aimlessly. But even more common than mzungu is the Ugandan greeting that we each receive again and again, whether on campus or in Mukono Town: “You are very welcome.”
The sense of community beyond our walls – real or psychic – was brought home to us a couple of weekends ago when we welcomed Grace Balikenga, Bisoke’s daughter, to our campus home for lunch. A fellowship that Father Ted Lewis had begun through his friendship with Rev. Bisoke, that had become our parish’s friendship with Bisoke as a mission partner, and our own as Bisoke’s friends, now extended to his daughter Grace, who will be graduating from Uganda Christian University. Our lunch was a time of fellowship that grew through friendships and prayer over time, distances, cultural boundaries, and the divergent experiences of peace and war.
The Church is much more than an institution. It is the people of God. The Great Commission gives us our charter. Hebrews gives practical direction. The Book of Acts presents our history. Outside our doors are neighbors – some from far away like Afghan refugees, some no farther than Little Lights in DC. Our family extends from Chevy Chase to Bisoke’s Bunia. Let us stir up one another to love and good works, from The Circle to The World.
God bless you!
Richard
