Confessions of an Argentinian Llama Herder

"While we were still weak, at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly." Romans 5:6

I remember these words, "Christ died for the ungodly" scrawled in paint on the side of an old overgrown cement bridge or culvert beside the road near my home in rural Nova Scotia. The bridge was in the middle of nowhere and must have been made at some time to cross the small stream that still trickled out.

I am not sure of the intent of the graffiti artist who put it there. It seems to me that it was either a word of encouragement for those burdened by their ungodliness or one of judgement for those who ought to have been so burdened. Whatever the intent, while I was intrigued by the stark message (evidenced by the persistent memory these 35 years later), I never had any thought that it applied to me. After all, what was ungodly about me?

This makes me think and consider how we present the gospel - how we put it in context. St. Paul's intention in writing these words to the Roman church was the first aforementioned purpose - encouragement to those who understand what it means to be ungodly. Writing to Jews in Rome, he addresses hearts and minds that understand the existence of a holy law and of the implications of transgressing it. To one familiar with the concept and category of ungodliness, and therefore, personal acquaintance with it, the news that Christ died for these is indeed good.

But, alas, I was in the "those who ought to be so burdened" group. The message was lost on me because it simply didn't seem to be addressed to me. It caught my attention not because it piqued my spiritual interest, but because it was so incongruous - more likely to be read by local fauna than by any human beings. Perhaps it was encouragement to the godless deer and racoon of the vicinity.

What makes these words, and indeed all the book of Romans, so powerful is that they are addressed to speak into the intellectual and cultural concepts of their audience. Paul knows to whom he is writing and what makes them tick. He proclaims the gospel in a way that makes sense in the context.

This is not to say that the gospel changes depending on culture or circumstances. It does mean that we are challenged to present the gospel in a way that makes sense. Missionaries are trained, usually before they are deployed, in that language and culture of the group they are sent to reach. Similarly, we are challenged to understand the language of our culture if we would speak to it. Telling people that Christ died for the ungodly will not connect with someone with no concept of godliness.

To hear that Christ died for the ungodly was, for me, the equivalent of hearing that he died for the llama herders of Argentina (which he did). Interesting, but clearly not pertinent to me. And yes, I fully understand that one of my problems at the time was that I was unaware of my own ungodliness, and that the message was for me.

But someone needed to do the prior work of teaching me that I was an Argentinian llama herder. Happily, eventually someone did.