The Five Anglican Marks of Mission are a

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2 The Five Anglican Marks of Mission are a framework for the reconciling work God has sent us into the world to do that s what mission means. Developed by an Anglican Communion group in 1984, the marks have been revised in minor ways over the years, and Episcopalians and other members of the Anglican Communion are increasingly using them to frame our understanding of mission. God seeks to reconcile the world, so we speak of God s mission, in which the Church and its members are partners and participants. God s mission has several aspects, and the complexity and expansiveness of the marks mean that no one person, no single congregation or diocese, nor indeed any single part of the church can completely or fully engage all the marks it takes the Body of Christ to be God s mission partner. 1 Proclaim the good news of the kingdom This means sharing the dream God has for a reconciled creation and transformed world. What does it look like? The great prophetic visions give a hint, like the picnic banquet on a hillside rich foods and well-aged wines (Isaiah 25); every person well fed because each has a vineyard or an orchard; people living in peace because there is no scarcity; Jesus washing the 2

3 disciples feet and sharing a bounteous meal with them, a meal originating in his own body. How do you understand heaven and the heavenly banquet? What stories or images of that are most significant for you? How do you make that vision evident in your own life and the life of your family, workplace, and faith community? Living into this mark of mission is expressed in a variety of ways: sending missionary personnel, building missional partnerships with other communities, the work of communications, anti-racism work, prophetic and advocacy work, and sharing hope for a resurrected life with those who are discouraged, depressed, and destitute. Good and gracious God, fill us with hope in your ever-new creation, and give us a taste of your passion for sharing the hope that is within us, that others may also discover confidence in your dream for all that is. 2 Teach, baptize, and nurture new believers This is the one mark that happens primarily within Christian communities of faith (what some of us call church). This is Sunday school for all ages, Education for Ministry, book 3

4 studies, confirmation class, the Bible Challenge, newcomers classes, campus ministry, church camp, all sorts of retreats, and every kind of lifelong education and formation. Faith is a process that keeps us growing and expanding in relational love with God and neighbor. What study have you done recently? How are you engaged with other Christians in growing in your faith? Have you ever been a sponsor for baptism or confirmation? This is a very good way to deepen your own faith! Holy One, Creator of us all, you sent your son among us in human flesh. May we also grow in love and understanding each day of our lives that we might be more effective witnesses to your surpassing love for all you have made. 3 Respond to human need with loving service This is what Jesus was talking about when he said, Care for the least of these (Matthew 25). Love of neighbor has to respond to the neighbor s situation and condition, and when people are hungry, giving books is not likely to be either loving or helpful. We must offer our substance for the relief of others want, and it can take the form of monetary donations, hands-on help, food, hospitality, building hospitals and schools, rebuilding Haiti after the 4

5 earthquake, and resettling refugees. Episcopal Relief & Development, United Thank Offering, and Episcopal Migration Ministries are churchwide examples of loving service. Visiting prisoners and shut-ins, casseroles for new parents, reintegrating returning veterans, afterschool tutoring, and job placement assistance or helping seniors with tax forms are very particular examples. What form does this take in your life? What needs are present in your community that are not well addressed? How might a group of friends or acquaintances respond? Incarnate Lord, you entered our fragile life as a newborn child and left it in a broken and abused body; you shared festal meals with sinners and holy ones; you wept with Mary and Martha: show yourself in the faces of those who hurt and want, and give us the grace and tenderness to minister to each broken body as the grave-women did to yours. 4 Transform unjust structures of society, challenge violence of every kind, and pursue peace and reconciliation This is about God s justice taking incarnate form, about love at the level of human community. As partners in God s mission, we are co-creators 5

6 of God s justice, in all the thorny particularities of human existence. We advocate for justice so that people don t go hungry or without medical care. We have reconciling work to do wherever there is violence or injustice. Reconciliation undergirds larger deliverance and liberation, like the Innocence Project that seeks to free innocent prisoners, countering environmental racism, seeking just wages for all workers, and ending human trafficking. Injustice exists whenever a person or group is judged inferior to others by reason of some aspect of creation or origin gender, race, body type, sexual orientation, mental or physical ability, immigrant or refugee status, age. God s people should all have access to the abundant life for which Jesus came among us, and our task as the Body of Christ is to work with all possible partners to eliminate every obstacle. In theological terms those obstacles are called sin or skandaloi, stumbling blocks in the road to the kingdom. Do you consider justice issues at election time? Have you thought about how violent language (metaphors of war and strife) shapes your thinking or others responses? What needs reconciling in your own life or that of your community? Who will you partner with? 6

7 God of grace and glory, you offered your Son as reconciler of humanity and creation for your eternal purpose: teach us to seek your justice wherever we turn, that your glory may be revealed to all the world, and your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. 5 Safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth This is fundamental to human life and to flourishing. Healthy ecosystems are essential to human well-being and to justice for all. This is about our stewardship of the whole of creation, the garden in which God has set us. Conscious attention to our own attitudes and hungers about how we use the blessings of this earth can help to ensure that they are shared by all, not hoarded by a few. The planet on which all life depends needs good and holy gardeners. Have you taken an inventory of your energy use? If consumption is your idea of bliss, consider that in earlier times this word meant the disease of tuberculosis, which if untreated slowly deprives a human being of the breath necessary for life. How conscious are you of what you eat and drink? Is a meal a necessary task, or an opportunity for gratitude? Is your use of water and fuel a blessing or a curse for 7

8 those who live downstream or across the world? Have you considered eating lower on the food chain (more plants, less meat) at certain meals each week? Cosmic Creator, who imagined both Leviathan and flea, mammoth and mollusk, make us conscious of our connections to each of your creatures and of our dependence on the whole for our life and breath. It is your breath that enlivens us all; make us grateful for your immense and invaluable gift. Five Marks of Mission like the fingers of a hand. Together they call us into manual service, ministry for the sake of the whole body. May we bless the world in your mission, O Lord. Katharine Jefferts Schori is the twenty-sixth Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church. She was previously the bishop of the Diocese of Nevada. She holds a doctorate in oceanography and is an instrument-rated pilot. Cover photo provided by Episcopal Relief & Development. This pictures illustrates marks 3 and 4: new water systems transport potable water, freeing women to pursue incomegenerating opportunities.