The Church
The last 18 months of my journey in this new gig called pastoral ministry, has been a simultaneously intense struggleand joy. Deep within me…at the root of the calling I have responded too with my life…is a desire to re-teach, re-commit, and re-shape the people who claim to follow Jesus.
It is not hard to look around and see that we the Church have settled, stymied, and ceased to be consumed with the life-altering truth of a Creator God who loves deeply and desires to be with us.
As I read through the stories of God’s past, and recognize One who is desperate to be known by his creation (in whom he took the greatest of risks…the imago dei), I am overwhelmingly convinced that it is worth trying to change “the Church.”
It is worth the time of re-educating ourselves about the history of how we arrived at this point in the story. It is worth the frustration and criticism of others while evaluating everything we assume is “church.” It is worth the energy it takes to create new parables and find stories in our own culture that tell of the God who won’t quit loving. It is worth the rejection of others when they hang on to promoting their reputation, position, title, denomination, or church-brand over the Kingdom. It is worth having less for ourselves because we give more to others. Frankly, it is worth life itself…because true living is to be found in the Kingdom.
So out of 18 months of struggling, leading, succeeding, failing, erasing, changing, growing, building, and getting to know one another…comes a beautiful picture of what could be…should be…will be.
January 2010…re-teaching, re-committing, and re-shaping the people who call themselves Christian.
The Church
…is people and their God-glorifying stories.
…is both gathered and scattered.
…is a narrative of God.
…is in constant movement.
…is a covenant community.
