Paws for Thought The Theological Education of Rectory Puppy
 
Welcome to the next instalment of the continuing theological education of Jessie (The rectory puppy) under the wise tutelage of Lexie (a wise old dog with formal theological training and many years’ experience)

Jessie: Lexie, what is mission?
Lexie: A bit random, Jessie, why do you ask?
Jessie: I hear Rev Keir going on about it.
Lexie: Oh, I see, well mission is like a purpose.
Jessie: You mean a dolphin?
Lexie: No that’s a porpoise. A purpose is like a reason to be, what you are meant to do.
Jessie: Sort of like a job? My job is to be very cute and eat lots of sausages.
Lexie: Well, it is a bit more than that. Christians believe that we all have a purpose. We are all unique and we should look for what we are good at and when you find your purpose you can live fully.
Jessie: But I am very good at being cute and eating sausages, they make me very happy so is that my mission?
Lexie: It might be, but I doubt it’s just that. Think about all the joy you give, all the love you share. Complete unconditional love for everyone.
Jessie: Well, I don’t like to blow my own trumpet but I have an extremely waggy tail and love everybody.
Lexie: So that could be your mission, sharing unconditional love.
Jessie: So, what’s your mission?
Lexie: I have always tried to align my purpose with the Anglican church’s marks of mission.
Jessie: You what?
Lexie: There are five marks of mission, Rev Keir has written about them this month for the local newsletters.
Jessie: I see, but do you get to choose your mission? If so, I am choosing sausages over unconditional love.
Lexie: You are right, Jessie. We don’t choose our mission but rather try and use our God-given skills and strengths for the better of everyone.
Jessie: So why are you going on about the ‘marks of mission’
Lexie: Well, these things are complicated, and it is useful to have a skeleton for your ideas
Jessie: Brilliant, skeletons are made of bones, I love bones.
Lexie: No, I mean a framework or structure. It gives us a language to talk to others and think ourselves about our actions.
Jessie: I see and if we complete our mission do we go to heaven?
Lexie: Now you are straying into the theology of eschatology and it’s too hot to go into that.
Jessie: Shall we just have a nap?
Lexie: Now you are starting to understand my true mission. Zzzzzzzzzz