Ansgar (801-865) was the bishop of Hamburg-Bremen. It was his commission to evangelize Denmark, Sweden, and Norway which he did with gusto. Try to imagine Lutheranism without Danes, Swedes, and Norwegians. That’s right, no frikadelle at pot-lucks, no saffron buns for St. Lucy Day, no krumkake at the Christmas party, and probably no coffee ever. I’m being silly.

Ansgar faced a difficult time, especially with the Swedes and never made it to Norway. Vikings robbed him and burned down his church. Shortly after his death, most of Scandinavia slipped back into paganism, and it would be around 300 years before Christianity really got a hold in the north lands. So was Ansgar a failure? No. He did what he was supposed to do. He was faithful in his mission even though it produced limited results.

I know I’ve written about the difference between being faithful and successful before, but it bears repeating. We Christians are called to be faithful. We are not promised success in worldly terms. This is related to the issue of happiness. Our true happiness is found in our relationship with God (faith) not in what we acquire or achieve (success).

When Jesus sent the Twelve to preach, he warned them against accumulating money and instructed them how to deal with places that would not receive them: “shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town” (Matthew 10:14). He knew they would not be successful in delivering the Good News to everyone.

Be faithful like Ansgar. Leave the results to the Spirit.

Read Matthew 10:7-14 and remember: God loves YOU unconditionally.

Wayne