Urgency
Urgency doesn’t sound like a February word, but it has been on my mind quite a bit. Urgency is not frantic effort, but very purposeful effort. It is effort that is directed by an important cause, an imperative call.
Ruth and I have been in the USA for over three years now, serving Bible translation through recruiting and preparing people to serve as missionaries. And in some ways, serving here has been much harder than serving overseas. It’s been harder because life is so much easier and there are so many more distractions. It is easy to lose perspective, got get sidetracked by a busy schedule and a hectic life.
Christmas holidays, and a few lazy days of vacation, let me reflect again. I heard urgency in Luke’s story: “There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, ‘Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master.’” Very purposeful effort.
Something made me flip to the end of Luke where Jesus explains his whole life and purpose to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus said, “You can see now how it is written that the Messiah suffers, rises from the dead on the third day, and then a total life-change through the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed in his name to all nations – starting from here, from Jerusalem! You’re the first to hear and see it. You’re the witnesses.” Very purposeful effort.
We, you and I, are the witnesses proclaiming to all nations a total life-change made possible by Jesus. That’s us. In Tok Pisin, I’d say “Yumi tasol.” [It’s just you and me.]
Urgency causes me to ask, “What separates the most important issues that help new missionaries get to the field from all the good things we can do to help get people to the field?” It causes me to ask, “How can a local church take more ownership to send out and receive back their people, thus freeing my staff to attend to tasks that only we within Wycliffe can do well?”
For example there are many things that supportive friends can do to help a missionary. Helping them gain and maintain the funding needed for their ministry is one thing. That can be as simple as introducing the missionary to their friends, distributing newsletters to people at church, asking God to supply not just their needs, but a fair wage for their labor of love.
Welcoming them home from service overseas is another thing. And that can be as simple as helping them find a good doctor and dentist, taking them out and buying them an outfit that is stylish by today’s standards, or asking them over for a meal more than just once. (If you ask them if they want to go out to eat, realize they may not be use to the cost of restaurants, or even able to afford it if they are being asked to go out on a regular basis.)
Yet there are some things that only Wycliffe can effectively do to train a new missionary – things like orientation to our mission, vision, goals, values, and activities and new trends in our world-wide field programs.
And while friends are often naturally good at debriefing, we know that it really helps to have had significant cross-cultural experience in order to debrief someone who has had stressful cross-cultural experiences. You don’t talk much when you debrief someone, but you need to know the right kinds of questions to ask. And knowing that comes from experience.
Recently at Wycliffe we outsourced our staff evaluation process. We recognized that our personnel staff needed to focus on strengthening relationships, not processing forms. We found an excellent company that held our values of development and accountability. This company now manages the routine process and we focus on what only we can do in our Personnel department.
Ruth and I are intimately involved in a new church plant in south-east Orlando. When you start a new church, there are many good things you can do. Our focus on Urgency, though, causes us to look at church a bit differently. It causes us to ask, “What is really important? Why did God put the Church on the earth?”
I believe we are to be witnesses of His character and of the Good News He has revealed. Before Jesus ascended to heaven, he very clearly said that we are to be his witnesses throughout the whole world. It saddens me to admit that now, 2000 years later, there are people still waiting to hear.
Urgency.