If by our baptism we are a called people of God, then it is important that we are clear about for what we are called and where is the context of our mission. When Abram was called in the formation of the first people of God he was told, “…in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
When Isaiah was seeking to declare a word of hope to Israel in exile, he was told by God, “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.” (Isaiah 49:6)
In Matthew’s recording of Jesus’ final commission to the disciples, he said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
From the beginning, the people of God have always had a mission to the world. If we are a called people, we are called to go out into the world. One of the continuing characteristics of the universal church is its refusal to turn in on itself and forget the world around it. It continues to remember that God created the whole world and called it good and that our commission is to bear light to that good world which has been darkened and lost its way.
