Westminster Abbey

It has become my habit to visit David Livingstone at Westminster Abbey in London on my way to Africa. That may not make much sense to those who follow our work, as we often come off sounding anti-missionary. However, David Livingstone is the missionary I most identify with and am over time coming to understand why.

On this visit, I was able to devote enough time to actually do the full guided tour of the abbey and attend two real services: the morning prayers at the Shrine of St. Edward the Confessor and the afternoon Eucharist. A God-given bonus was that the chaplain for the week is a retired Methodist pastor who gave me some extra special attention.

The Shrine of St (King) Edward the Confessor is not open to the public except for the morning prayers. (Very small world moment: Students from Ball State were in my prayer group.) These prayers took me deep into history as I was connected to my own pre-Norman English Christian faith, praying at a wood carved shrine that is more than 1,000 years old. The Eucharist (communion), on the other hand, was as current as today's newspaper.

Of course, I spent time at the grave stone of David Livingstone. His heart is buried in Chitombo's Village in what is now Zambia. I've visited there, as well. His body was brought back to London for burial in the nave of Westminster Abbey. His last written words are here: "All I can add in my solitude, is, may heaven's rich blessing come down on everyone, American, English, or Turk, who will help to heal this open sore of the world."

I noted one epitaph on the grave of someone whose name I did not recognize: "His work shall follow him." (quoting scripture) That epitaph caused me to review all the graves. There it was, all over the abbey, the number one value recognized in all worthy of internment there: Service. Service to God. Service to country. and especially recognized, service to the poor and forgotten. "His work shall follow him" reminded me that most who had served well, did not receive recognition in their lifetimes; indeed, their work didn't really kick in until after their deaths. It reminds me of the Reinhold Niebuhr admonition that "Anything worth giving your life to will take more than a lifetime to accomplish." The reason so many do not receive credit for their good work in their lifetimes is that their good work doesn't really take off until after their deaths.

The problem, however, is that a core value does not guarantee the desired outcome. Many of us serve in self deluding ways. We are convinced of our call and not aware of the damage we do to others in our zeal. Many times, a whole generation gets it wrong. Westminster Abbey is a museum of human service. We are able to reflect on a 1,000 years of the lives of those who served, from kings and queens to common folk who rose to the uncommon. History has turned over several times, allowing us to have perspective on both the good and the bad that has been done in the name of service to God and country. Our heroes are all flawed and incomplete, but they still call us to a greater good.

So add to the evolving definition of "missiology:" A missiologist is one who is called to serve, but who is constantly asking the question, "Why am I here, what good am I doing, and what damage am I doing unawares?"

Bob