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Home - Pastoral and Study Resources - Biblical Articles & Papers - The Gift of an Empty Cup
The Gift of an Empty Cup
When speaking of my nationality, I have always referred to myself as an
American. I realize now that such a simple statement carries with it a
rather arrogant assumption--that the United States comprises the
entirety of South, Central, and North America. After a recent trip to
South America, I realized that my Ecuadorian friends are also Americans.
I came to this realization while in Ecuador as part of a North Park
Theological Seminary class called Missions in Latin America. My error
was in some ways a simple one, unintentional and easily corrected.
However, as I continue to reflect on the impact of this trip on my life,
I am discovering deeper layers of error stemming from similar unwitting
assumptions.
As the only child of a Young Life staff member, I grew up immersed in
Young Life clubs, camps, and conferences. I quickly assimilated a key
Young Life tenet, that my job as a Christian was "to be Jesus with skin
on" to those around me. When preparing for a ministry event such as the
mission trip to Ecuador, it is natural for me to buff up what I call my
"Jesus skills," and prepare myself to serve. This posture has served me
well in past ministry experiences and I had no reason to doubt that it
would work in Ecuador as well. It didn't.
My first roadblock was lack of communication skills. On previous
international trips, I had always been part of a choir where my means of
sharing Christ was through song. Although our group did sing on our
first night in Cayambe, we weren't very good. In fact, we massacred the
song. So much for singing. At home, I could also rely on speaking like
Christ, but since I knew almost no Spanish, I could not do this either.
Seeking out another avenue to make a contribution, I considered the
construction work we were there to do. But this, too, was discouraging
as I realized that everything I did could just as readily have been
accomplished by my Ecuadorian hosts.
I grew frustrated and knew that I needed an attitude adjustment. I got
the help I needed by reading a wonderful book called Gracias by the late
Henri Nouwen. Gracias is not a book so much as a reflective journal of
Nouwen's experiences serving in Bolivia and Peru. Throughout, Nouwen
struggles with whether God has called him to remain permanently in Latin
America. In one entry Nouwen makes the following observations:
"The mystery of ministry is that the Lord is to be found where we
minister. That is what Jesus tells us when he says: 'Insofar as you did
this to one of the least of these [sisters or] brothers of mine, you did
it to me' (Matthew 25:40). Our care for people thus becomes the way to
meet the Lord.... To go to the poor is to go to the Lord. Living this
truth in our daily life makes it possible to care for people without
conditions, without hesitation, without suspicion, or without the need
for immediate rewards.... The goal of education and formation for the
ministry is continually to recognize the Lord's voice, his face, and his
touch in every person we meet."
My learning experience began in earnest when, with Nouwen's help, I
received a large dose of humility. In letting go of my need to be Jesus
with skin on, as well as my misguided attempts to solve the world's
ills, I was able to begin to see Christ in a purer sense.
Loving Jesus in song was not limited to my own formal vocal training but
gloriously evident in the heartfelt worship songs of the Cayambe
church. The greatest expression of a servant heart was not to be found
in my contributions, but in the generosity of the La Companian people
who served me their rarest and most expensive delicacies for lunch.
Servanthood was little evidenced in my attitude as I found myself
frequently frustrated, but was abundantly clear in the humility of the
Ecuadorians who praised us for doing more work than they did, though
this was clearly not the case.
In naming and releasing the assumption that I was the sole possessor of
a gift everyone else needed, I discovered a deeper understanding of
Christ's call to ministry by looking instead for that which my sisters
and brothers could teach and share with me. This was a profound shift
in my worldview. No longer intent on seeing myself as Jesus, I was able
to see Jesus in those I came to serve.
No matter how hard you and I try, we will never be Christ; and more
often than not we may fail to even be Christ-like. Though it is also
true that those we serve are not Jesus, it is imperative that we alter
the way we view our task as Christians to avoid the pitfalls of a "Jesus
with skin on" mentality.
Even when carefully considered, approaching the Christian life as if I
am to "be Jesus" can be dangerous. It has been said that what we think
affects what we say; what we say affects what we do; what we do affects
who we are. If there is any truth in this statement, and I believe
there is, then trying to understand myself as Jesus with skin on will
affect the way I approach and treat the people I serve.
In ideal circumstances, this would be a good thing. People would see
Jesus as a person who feeds the hungry, weeps with those who mourn,
spends time with social outcasts, and selflessly gives. Unfortunately,
this is not always the case. Such a posture may also send a very wrong
message, especially when we minister as "tourists" in places we do not
live, leaving as quickly as we came, and investing little in the lives
of those we ostensibly came to serve. I worry about presenting myself
as this kind of Jesus.
In Ecuador I was convicted of the arrogance of calling myself an
American. Just as pretentious is assuming that I could actually be
Jesus with skin on, and its implication that I should teach while others
listen and learn. A deeper understanding of what it means to work in
missions is summarized by a Catholic priest in Peru who says,
"Missioners came down with a full chalice, overflowing. Instead, they
should have come with an empty cup. Then, we would have filled it with
[them]."
My brief experience in Ecuador has transformed my understanding of what
it means to be a Christian and to minister to those around me. It is my
prayer that every day I will come to a deeper understanding of what it
means to go out into the world willing to learn as well as to teach,
eager to receive as well as to give, ready to meet Jesus as well as
present him to others.
Jennifer Pope - The Covenant Companion, August 1999
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