Emphasis Preaching Journal

There’s a story about a Jesuit missionary who brought the Christian faith to a certain tribe of the Masai people of Kenya. The Masai are a fiercely independent people. The missionary had to work hard to convince them they needed Christ in their lives. After a great many conversations with members of the tribe, the missionary finally decided a handful of individuals were ready for baptism. He requested an audience with the chief, to ask permission to hold a great feast, at which the sacrament would be administered. The chief was not happy with this plan. He had no objection to the baptisms — he was interested in Christianity, himself. “Why,” the chief demanded, “are some tribal members being chosen for baptism? Why are others being excluded?” The missionary carefully explained the importance of making an individual decision for Christ. The chief still wouldn’t buy it. “I am sorry,” he replied, “but that is not a good enough answer. We are a village together. In our village, the strong help the weak. The quick teach the slow. We take responsibility for one another, no matter how busy or how lazy one person may be. That is how we live. We are not going to change our ways to accommodate your customs. All of us will be baptized together, or no one will be baptized.” And so it happened that, on that very same day, the entire village was baptized. It may have been irregular, by European standards, but the Masai chief understood, better than most, that in the church of Jesus Christ no one is a stranger.