2012 Mission Focus:

Love at the Margins: Discovering and Sharing in God’s Heart for the Poor

In the gospels, when John the Baptist becomes unsure whether Jesus is the anticipated Messiah, he sends disciples to Jesus to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”  Jesus answers John’s question by saying:

“Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the poor have good news brought to them.  And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.” (Luke 7:18-23, NRSV)

Jesus’ response suggests that one of the distinguishing signs of God at work in the world is good news, healing and transformation for those on the ‘margins’ of society – a striking characteristic of Jesus’ own ministry.

During 2012 at Highgate, we have identified a particular mission focus that reflects on this theme, Love at the Margins: Discovering and Sharing in God’s Heart for the Poor.  This theme acknowledges that Scripture attests to a God who displays particular concern for the poor, and whose transformative love is often most powerfully revealed among those places considered ‘marginal’ to society.  By focussing on this theme, we express our desire to discover more about this aspect of God’s character, and to consider how we might be invited to share and express God’s heart for the poor in Dunedin, both as individuals, and as a church.