June Week 4 — Mission Cleveland Parish

Virtue: Intentionality
Resolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.

Human Story: Charlotte “Lottie” Digges Moon (1840-1912)

Charlotte Digges Moon grew up on her family’s ancestral plantation in Virginia. She had a privileged childhood and was able to forego an early marriage and instead attend college at Virginia Female Seminary (later named Hollins Institute), receiving one of the first master’s degrees for a woman from a southern college. At eighteen, she had a radical spiritual awakening that prompted her to open a school for girls and minister to the poor families in her hometown. During the Civil War, she remained close to home and went on to teach school in Kentucky, Georgia and Virginia.

In 1873, soon after the Southern Baptist Convention allowed single women to be missionaries, Lottie moved to China where her sister was also a missionary. Although she was assigned as a teacher to young girls, she began making trips into the villages to reach out to others. Seeing tremendous needs, she began writing letters home to ask for funds and more missionaries to serve. At four feet, three inches tall, she adopted the traditional dress of her new country, learned the language, and plugged away for four decades in China.

Lottie Moon lived an intentional life: as a product of the South, she worked to reform her own views of slavery and prejudice. She ignored the southern way of marriage and homemaking and chose to pursue higher education. She was a reformist in her confrontational letter writing and journalism regarding the way the missionary board viewed women in the field. She was a teacher to young girls both in the States and China. She was an entrepreneur, starting schools where there were none, and raising funds for more workers. She was also innovative, baking cookies for the children to find a way into their hearts.

After 20 years in the field she changed the focus of her ministry to evangelism, going house to house and village to village, sharing her faith with women and children. This was not a job normally given to women, requiring special permission from the mission board. She faced loneliness, opposition, hardship, famine and loss all for the sake of showing the light of Jesus. In solidarity, Lottie died as a result of a nationwide famine, truly exemplifying sacrificial living.

Lottie Moon is an example of a life of clear focus and goal setting that builds slowly with hard work to an apex of worldwide evangelism, breaking the barriers of gender, culture, and social class. The facts of her life show her as a pioneer of intellect and resilience. Over one billion dollars have been given to international missions due to her efforts, among others.

Lesson: John 3:30

He must become greater; I must become less.

Often our efforts, especially in the Western hemisphere, are for selfish purposes. This pursuit of personal greatness is not necessarily wrong, but it can become an unhealthy trajectory if we become consumed with a constant desire for more. In the human story above, Lottie Moon did become great – but for all the right reasons. She sought to become more Christlike.

As we look around the Christian landscape in America, we can see vividly what happens when there is no intentional effort to make Christ greater in our lives. If we simply coast along, we will gravitate more to the American dream that is presented to us in culture rather than the dream of connection with Christ. We must be intentional if we are going to continually be disciples of Christ.

G.K. Chesterton tells a story of two brothers who were playing in a field and encountered a magic milk man. The man offers each brother one wish. The first chooses to be a giant. He is instantly granted his wish. He is able to travel the world easily due to his large strides. He walks to Niagara Falls and they appear to be small- like a bathtub spigot. He walks to the Himalayan mountains and they appear to be like nothing more than hills. He returns to the field and lays down and falls asleep- bored and disappointed.

His brother takes note of the outcome of that wish and chooses the opposite. He wishes to be tiny. Instantly he shrinks and that field becomes a wild adventure. The blades of grass look like an unending forest. The dandelions, with the sun shining through them, appear to be massive balls of fire. Chesterton concludes, “Humility is the luxurious art of reducing ourselves to a point so that to it all the cosmic things are what they really are – of immeasurable stature.”

We have a similar choice. We can choose to be intentional about making ourselves greater, and in turn all other things smaller. Or we can choose to be intentional about making Christ greater and all other things become larger and more glorious.

Remembrance

Grant, O Lord, that the course of this world may be
peaceably governed by your providence; and that your
Church may joyfully serve you in confidence and serenity;
through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you
and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
-Book of Common Prayer, p.229

Challenge

Lottie Moon regularly wrote home from China with appeals for more money for missions efforts and more workers for the mission field. The needs are no less today. How is God asking you to participate in His mission work? Give? Go? Or both? Once you hear His directions, make specific plans for doing it.

Reflection

Reflect on the Chesterton quote found in the lesson above: “Humility is the luxurious art of reducing ourselves to a point so that to it all the cosmic things are what they really are – of immeasurable stature.” Journal or discuss some concrete steps to reduce yourself in your current life situation.

Further Growth

Virtue: IntentionalityResolution: I choose to be mindful and responsive to God’s presence and the needs of others.