Preaching in Mexico
This Saturday, I will load up into the church van and head to the desert in Mexico for 5 days on a mission trip with FBC Athens. We are going to remote villages that have no electricity or running water, and not too much contact with urban civilization. There aren’t really roads that lead to these places, it’s more like dry creek-beds, and the villages don’t really exist on maps (La Rosita…San Miguel…Las Eutamias…anyone?).
We have 12 students journeying with us and so my primary job will be spending time with them as they paint houses, play with the kids, and help serve food. But my secondary job is the “Spiritual Leader” on the trip…I’m in charge of devotionals for our group, and possibly a sermon to the villagers via a translator. The devotional part doesn’t frighten me too much, but I am petrified about trying to preach to a Mexican village. What do I say?
I keep coming back to John 10:10 and John 13:35 and John 15:13. In those 3 verses, we get a picture that Jesus has come to show us the best kind of life to live, and that love should be the foundation for that life, and that our love should be the kind of love that we would lay down our life for those around us. Does that translate to people who live in the desert? Will people whose primary means of transportation is a donkey hear something different than I do in those verses?
