Can You Imagine?
An article in Outreach magazine prompted my staff and me to think about how to re-imagine the church. In the first century, "kingdom" language was highly effective. The people had been waiting on their Messiah for centuries. Politics and religion were intertwined in confusing and dangerous ways. In their own homes, but occupied by a hostile power and unable to find solace in a corrupted religion (the high priesthood was up for sale and had been for some time), they longed for a king, a hero, a chevalier to ride in and save the day.
When an American hears "king" or "kingdom" they do not have the same response. They think of kings as doddering old guys cutting ribbons in Europe or perhaps a relic of tribal times on some island in the South Pacific. "Kingdom" doesn't resonate with us either, as we consider ourselves part of a democracy or republic.
If Jesus were to announce his kingdom today, how would he re-cast that vision? How would he re-imagine the church? The answer is -- he did! The first six of the following list comes from Brian Mavis' column in Outreach. The rest came from the staff at Rochester, and we are working on more. The comments on each are my own. We use these comments to spark creative use of video and illustrations. What if we were to re-imagine the church as:
1. A party? (think Cana of Galilee, or Matthew 22:1-13) Think of how effective the Geico gecko commercials are as he invites people to his insurance company as if it were an exclusive club, a party, a place for special people.
2. A hospital? (Mark 2:13-17) Watch hospital commericals. Some are designed to terrify (I'm thinking the Beaumont commercials here in Detroit that make you fear that your every twinge might be fatal and end with the breathless line "Do you have a Beaumont doctor?") but most are designed to show warmth, service, peace, and help.
3. A treasure hunt? (Matthew 13:44-46) "All right, contestants, in fifteen minutes, God is coming. We have hidden grace in the room. Who will find it before He shows up?" Many other examples leap to mind. Think Indiana Jones or The Da Vinci Code and you get the idea.
4. More like a fishing trip? (Matthew 13:47-52) Think of the preparation, effort, patience, and burdens happily borne on each trip, regardless of the size of the return.
5. More like a gym? (1 Timothy 4:7,8) Blow up muscle suits, anyone? What efforts are made to get in shape? How long does it take? Are you ever done? What kinds of community draw you back to your gym?
6. A search and rescue team? (Luke 15:3-7; 19:10) Or any of the parables concerning searching for the lost pearl, lost boy, etc. Use this in combination with a blessing for firefighters, EMTs, etc. Movies such as Ladder 49 and World Trade Center come to mind.
7. The dream of God? (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1) What are God's dreams for us? What is in our baby book? What is He saying about us to the crowd of witnesses?
8. The revolution of God? (I preached this July 4th weekend at Rochester and it is available online) How revolutionary was/is Jesus' teachings? What happens to our sense of place, identity, and purpose when we read those passages anew that we formally explained away? (think "lay not up for yourself treasures on earth" and compare that to commercials that challenge us to retire well, stay medicated, etc.)
9. The mission of God? Movies such as The Mission and The Blues Brothers come to mind. What happens when God's dreams and mission takes over your life? What happened to Paul? How was his life turned upside down?
10. The network of God? Look at the various jobs, ages, races, and neighborhoods in your congregation. Use pushpins in large maps to show how God has located us at the critical junctions of our area geographically, economically, and by trade or occupation. What are the ramifications of this? How can we build our network to strengthen our fellowship as we bring others in?
11. The dance of God? Look at David dancing as the Ark was brought into the city. God taught bees how to dance (along with many other animals and insects). Survey the word "dance" in scripture and note how it is almost always mentioned positively, especially when the dance is to God. How can our worship, life and mission be changed if we look upon them as a dance to God?
12. As a gathering? (Matthew:16ff) We are a Gathering but also a Sent Community. We are gathered to GO! We are not gathered to sit and listen on Sundays. What aspects of the Gathering are attractive to us and the culture in which we live? What about the Sending?
13. As a Covenant? A membership covenant, or a marriage covenant. What is our responsibility, our part of the covenant between us and God? Instead of asking to be served by the church, what are our obligations as a part of the covenant between humanity and Deity.
14. A center for renewal and resurrection. Similar to the hospital idea, but with much more room for dramatic impact. Use those in our fellowship with stories of overcoming addictions, sinful lives, or personal tragedy.
We are still working on these. Some have already been presented in sermon form to the congregation here. What others can you imagine... or re-imagine?
When an American hears "king" or "kingdom" they do not have the same response. They think of kings as doddering old guys cutting ribbons in Europe or perhaps a relic of tribal times on some island in the South Pacific. "Kingdom" doesn't resonate with us either, as we consider ourselves part of a democracy or republic.
If Jesus were to announce his kingdom today, how would he re-cast that vision? How would he re-imagine the church? The answer is -- he did! The first six of the following list comes from Brian Mavis' column in Outreach. The rest came from the staff at Rochester, and we are working on more. The comments on each are my own. We use these comments to spark creative use of video and illustrations. What if we were to re-imagine the church as:
1. A party? (think Cana of Galilee, or Matthew 22:1-13) Think of how effective the Geico gecko commercials are as he invites people to his insurance company as if it were an exclusive club, a party, a place for special people.
2. A hospital? (Mark 2:13-17) Watch hospital commericals. Some are designed to terrify (I'm thinking the Beaumont commercials here in Detroit that make you fear that your every twinge might be fatal and end with the breathless line "Do you have a Beaumont doctor?") but most are designed to show warmth, service, peace, and help.
3. A treasure hunt? (Matthew 13:44-46) "All right, contestants, in fifteen minutes, God is coming. We have hidden grace in the room. Who will find it before He shows up?" Many other examples leap to mind. Think Indiana Jones or The Da Vinci Code and you get the idea.
4. More like a fishing trip? (Matthew 13:47-52) Think of the preparation, effort, patience, and burdens happily borne on each trip, regardless of the size of the return.
5. More like a gym? (1 Timothy 4:7,8) Blow up muscle suits, anyone? What efforts are made to get in shape? How long does it take? Are you ever done? What kinds of community draw you back to your gym?
6. A search and rescue team? (Luke 15:3-7; 19:10) Or any of the parables concerning searching for the lost pearl, lost boy, etc. Use this in combination with a blessing for firefighters, EMTs, etc. Movies such as Ladder 49 and World Trade Center come to mind.
7. The dream of God? (Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1) What are God's dreams for us? What is in our baby book? What is He saying about us to the crowd of witnesses?
8. The revolution of God? (I preached this July 4th weekend at Rochester and it is available online) How revolutionary was/is Jesus' teachings? What happens to our sense of place, identity, and purpose when we read those passages anew that we formally explained away? (think "lay not up for yourself treasures on earth" and compare that to commercials that challenge us to retire well, stay medicated, etc.)
9. The mission of God? Movies such as The Mission and The Blues Brothers come to mind. What happens when God's dreams and mission takes over your life? What happened to Paul? How was his life turned upside down?
10. The network of God? Look at the various jobs, ages, races, and neighborhoods in your congregation. Use pushpins in large maps to show how God has located us at the critical junctions of our area geographically, economically, and by trade or occupation. What are the ramifications of this? How can we build our network to strengthen our fellowship as we bring others in?
11. The dance of God? Look at David dancing as the Ark was brought into the city. God taught bees how to dance (along with many other animals and insects). Survey the word "dance" in scripture and note how it is almost always mentioned positively, especially when the dance is to God. How can our worship, life and mission be changed if we look upon them as a dance to God?
12. As a gathering? (Matthew:16ff) We are a Gathering but also a Sent Community. We are gathered to GO! We are not gathered to sit and listen on Sundays. What aspects of the Gathering are attractive to us and the culture in which we live? What about the Sending?
13. As a Covenant? A membership covenant, or a marriage covenant. What is our responsibility, our part of the covenant between us and God? Instead of asking to be served by the church, what are our obligations as a part of the covenant between humanity and Deity.
14. A center for renewal and resurrection. Similar to the hospital idea, but with much more room for dramatic impact. Use those in our fellowship with stories of overcoming addictions, sinful lives, or personal tragedy.
We are still working on these. Some have already been presented in sermon form to the congregation here. What others can you imagine... or re-imagine?
posted by PatrickMead @ 9/26/2006 08:02:00 AM
3 Comments:
At 9/26/2006 12:44:00 PM ,
Brian said...
Regarding the church as dance, Brian McLaren has some great thoughts relating evangelism to dance in his book 'A New Kind of Christian'.
Additionally, perhaps imagine the church as family. There are some at our church in Texas who have literally been cut off from their biological families, and the church has truly become their family. This could also be helpful in terms of learning to resolve conflicts with the understanding that, like a biological family, our spiritual family needs to get out of the mindset that if we aren't happy we'll just go find another (church) family that pleases us more.
One more: what about church as story? A story of God at work; a story all about God; a story with amazing characters, shocking plot twists, all kinds of literary styles -- and I'm not just referring to the stories in scripture! And how about the foreshadowing? Oh, and the climax of the story, which of course hasn't happened yet! Lots of possibilities to imagine the church as God's story.
Thanks for the opportunity to think deep today!
At 9/26/2006 02:36:00 PM ,
Anonymous said...
I immediately envisioned the church as an active castle with a large outer wall. A place that is open to all via a large gate, but also a place that can protect its inhabitants when danger comes lurking. I see it housing an arsenal of weapons. I see older warriors in the courtyard training boys in the correct use of these weapons. I see offensive attacks being planned and soldiers being sent off on missions. I see scouts returning with news of the enemy’s whereabouts/weaknesses and news concerning the needs of those who have been previously sent out. I see a continual scrutinizing of the outer wall to see if there are any new weak spots or places needing additional fortification. I see some of those things previously mentioned also taking place within the outer walls: hospital, dancing, party, gym, etc.
In "Return of the King" when news of the enemy's movements came through, the people sought refuge in a fortified place. The weakest were placed in the most secure areas. However, when the need for more troops arose, even those who had little if any experience had to don a helmet and take up a sword. The representation of this fortified place in the movie is not exactly what I envision the church as being, but some of the characteristics apply well.
As always, I appreciate your thought-provoking writing and teachings. It is my prayer that the thoughts provoked in me would turn to action more and more each day.
At 9/28/2006 05:33:00 AM ,
Anonymous said...
Re: #2, the concept of the Beaumont commercials "designed to terrify". It's a perspective on their marketing strategy I've never considered. I suppose that's the point of this particular entry. (I'm a slow learner.) It's all about the language and meeting people where they are.
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