Do you ever have that feeling that everywhere you look there’s a mess? I know I’ve blogged about physical messes before and I promise this time that is not what I’m talking about. I listen to sports radio, it’s one of those mindless exercises that I enjoy while shooting around Louisville. Last week the news was dominated by the ongoings of Indianapolis, home of the Super Bowl. The focus, however, wasn’t on the game it was on the future of Peyton Manning.
It should be stated that I’ve “disliked” Manning since he signed with the University of Tennessee, but I do think he’s probably the greatest QB of my generation. He didn’t play a down this season because of an offseason neck surgery and this year he’s up for a contract change. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, but when you combine his surgery and the fact that the number one draft pick is one of the most exciting QB prospects since Peyton you have an equation of great unease. What’s amazing to me is that this “great” situation of owner and player has been the ideal for the last 14 years and now it’s a mess.
This mess extends to politics, both national and local, it extends to the economy. I’m sure for many it extends into their personal lives – I just spent 15 minutes talking to my barista about her life being upside down. There is a mess everywhere we look – often times including the one place that we’re supposed to find comfort and peace, the Church.
I’ve been very vocal about the changes that are staring down the church in our western society. We’re rapidly becoming irrelevant and useless to the society around us (even when arguments about church and state boil up from Wasthington). There are books galore that pinpoint some of the causes and even try to highlight some potential “reboots” of a church 3.0, or whatever else we want to cal lit. Is the church supposed to become more missional or leave institution behind or close all our doors and start meeting “in a van down by the river”? As many followers of Jesus that there are, there are an equal amount of ideas about fixing the mess that the church, and ultimately, the world are in.
With all that being said, I wonder if maybe, just maybe, we’re making this way too difficult? I enjoy reading these books – theres about 5 on my desk right now, one in my bag and a handful on my iPad. I like reading the ideas and hearing the possibilities. However, I also find that in reading them, I’m somewhat overwhelmed by both the bad news and the potential excitement. It’s a lot to take in! It can feel incredibly offputting to think that we’re working really hard and aren’t making the difference we’d like, or know we have the ability to make.
What if, instead of all thee books and tools, which I think are good and have their place, we started to actually believe that transformation and change could happen? I mean, what if that’s the starting point? It seems kinda overly simplistic doesn’t it? What if our biggest issue wasn’t that we haven’t thought enough, but that we just don’t believe that things can change? I’m going to be praying this week on the beauty of Redemption as a part of our Jesus – Period series. What if more followers of Jesus went about their day expecting to be a part of a “living proof” moment instead of being swamped by the news of messy life that is pumped into our brains by the world around us? I’m not saying we should have a Positive only message – we gotta admit and see that the world is difficult. I just heard of a family at the church school who lost their 7 week old child. Their hurt is real and unimaginable – as is much of the hurt that we all carry. But for most of us, what if our hurt is being held onto because we don’t think anything could be done about it?
I don’t know what you’re carrying right now, but where are you and I expecting to see transformation in our lives? Where could you and I stop listening to the messages of mess and instead start seeing the redemptive possibility all around us? Jesus said that he came that we might all have “life to it’s fullest.” I think that full life means that he’s come to bring the offer of wholeness and life to us, even in the midst of a mess. I think he’s offering it to us even now -w ill we have the courage to accept it, and then to actually live like it’s true?
Grace and peace…