i've hesitated to write anything deep lately. i don't know why - i just have...but lately i've been so deep in thought that i feel i need to blurt it out. i don't know exactly where this will go - only that it will go...i have a wonderful opportunity to count among my dear friends several 20 somethings. they crack me up and i get a kick out of them. they seem to actually even like hanging out with us old people:)
but something i've wrestled with for the past few years is one i see their generation wrestling with. maybe it is more of trying to reconcile "it". i know some people will be bothered by this, but i have greatly struggled lately with how we do church and christianity in america. are we missing out on what God intended? have we strayed from things? i had this conversation with someone who then turned it into that we have softened sin. that isn't exactly what i meant by that. in fact, i think that is a mute point in this discussion. really??
okay, so here is where i struggle. for so long we have (by we i am generalizing american christian culture - no specifics to anyone!) taken scripture and created rules that seem good and godly. i mean there are definitely specifics in the bible - no sex before marriage, no getting drunk, don't murder, etc....but in the middle of all these good rules, we lost life with Jesus. in so many ways these rules end up becoming about what we do, when the reality is that we can do nothing. absolutely nothing. it is all about Jesus. it is about what Jesus does.
now, i'm not big on labeling generations, but there is all this talk about the emergent church. frankly, i love it...it appeals to me. a lot of people talk negative about it. Jesus is the same always right? why should we change the way we do church just to please a bunch of 16-30 year olds? ironically, that is exactly the age group that is leaving the church, and leaving fast. the emergent church appeals to me because it is about becoming real wth Jesus. culture has changed, but Jesus reached the people in His days with their culture. as silly as it may sound, i think Jesus would have a blog and facebook account today. i think he'd carry a cell phone (although he would know when to turn it off!). i think he would greatly enjoy the praise music of our day. i think he would love life and serve others.
and this is where i see so many emergents. we live in a culture of meism. where if they aren't getting the best degree they won't succeed. if they aren't engaged purely with christians than we need to pray for them. and well, if they seem to be living on the edge, heaven help them!
that may sound bitey, but isn't it true? i think they are longing to see relationship in the church. relationship that is meaningful. they want to have fun. they want to share. they want to be who they are. they want to do less church business, and be present with people.
they long to see acceptance, not condemnation. they long to love. it sounds a little hippy huh? and maybe that is what freaks us out. oh yeah...a lot of them also are a bit, how can i say it, organic, healthy, environmentaly friendly....all those things that are "weird". somewhere in genesis God commanded us to care for His creation. but we seem to have forgotten about that - somewhere around leviticus i think.
i've been reading the book crazy love by francis chan. he writes about being overwhelmed by a relentless God. it has gripped my heart! it has sent me to my knees in prayer. it has sent me to the bible in search of Truth. i have read the chapter on being lukewarm 3 times. i can't get beyond it. i'm so guilty of this. culturally we are guilty of this. lukewarm is safe - except God says it disgusts Him so much He will spit us out! i've read that before, but as i read about the lukewarm person i realized it was so much more real to me.
i think we see a generation rising up to move beyond being lukewarm. they want Jesus. they want to serve Him. they want to love others. mostly, they want Jesus!!!! they want to be real with Him and real with the world. they want to live like Jesus did. He engaged in culture to show Himself. He touched the world - mostly, he touched the sinners!
it is hard to reconcile these two views isn't it? the safe christian culture or the emergent one. the one that is about living holy (which is a commandment) or the one that is about risking it all for Christ. i've been so intent on seeking Jesus in my life. i long to fall so in love with Him....my favorite tag line on the back cover of the book is this...."because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything."
to be wildly in love with Jesus....that's my heart's cry.
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