Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Missionary version of 1 Corinthians 13
I found this here after linking back through our friends' site.
Brokenhearted under the weight of my own inadequacy, it is something that I need to carry as a regular reminder of who I am and what I have been called to.
If I speak fluently in another language but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I wear the national dress and understand the culture and all forms of etiquette so that I could pass as a national, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love endures long hours of language study and does not envy those who stayed home.
Love does not exalt his home country, is not proud of his national superiority, does not boast about the way we do it back home, does not think evil about his new country.
Love bears all criticism about his place of origin and believes the best about his new place of ministry.
Love endures all inconveniences.
Love never fails.
Where there is contextualisation it may lead to syncretiscism. Where there is linguistics it will change. For we know only part of the culture, and we minister to only part. But when Christ is reproduced in this place then our inadequacies will be insignificant.
When I was living back home, I spoke like a citizen of my own country, understood like one, thought as one. But when I left my country I put away these things. Now we adapt to a new culture awkwardly, but He will live in it intimately.
Now I speak a strange accent, but He will speak to the heart.
And now these three remain - cultural adaptation, language study and love. But the greatest of these is love.
Brokenhearted under the weight of my own inadequacy, it is something that I need to carry as a regular reminder of who I am and what I have been called to.
If I speak fluently in another language but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I wear the national dress and understand the culture and all forms of etiquette so that I could pass as a national, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love endures long hours of language study and does not envy those who stayed home.
Love does not exalt his home country, is not proud of his national superiority, does not boast about the way we do it back home, does not think evil about his new country.
Love bears all criticism about his place of origin and believes the best about his new place of ministry.
Love endures all inconveniences.
Love never fails.
Where there is contextualisation it may lead to syncretiscism. Where there is linguistics it will change. For we know only part of the culture, and we minister to only part. But when Christ is reproduced in this place then our inadequacies will be insignificant.
When I was living back home, I spoke like a citizen of my own country, understood like one, thought as one. But when I left my country I put away these things. Now we adapt to a new culture awkwardly, but He will live in it intimately.
Now I speak a strange accent, but He will speak to the heart.
And now these three remain - cultural adaptation, language study and love. But the greatest of these is love.
