What Are We Doing Here? RE-IMAGINING

Ever seen a commercial with James Dyson (of the vacuum fame)? He explains how he became an inventor- FRUSTRATION. He got tired of things he used on a regular basis not working properly. The concept was good, the execution was poor. So Dyson re-imagined them- finding a new expression that functioned.

Isn't this the same journey we are on as people of faith? We've had negative, hurtful, boring, impotent experiences with the versions of faith/church/Jesus we were given. Yet, we keep coming back. Why? We know the concept is good. We just need to do some re-imagining.

IS GOD GOOD WITH THIS?
While the idea of finding an expression of faith in Jesus/church that works for us today may sound appealing, it might also give us pause. How does God feel about re-imagining? Is this heresy? Is the lightning bolt coming for us? Hardly. There's a recurring cycle of re-imagination in the relationship between God and humans. The Old Testament pulses with this rhythm. People have powerful experiences with God and pledge themselves to Him. But then they drift and settle for a version of God/faith/life that is a mere shell of what was intended. God waits for them to ask "what are we doing here?". They don't. So, eventually God gets their attention- usually through pain and hardship. They re-imagine. And the cycle begins again.

JESUS THE RE-IMAGINER
Jesus liked to shake things up. He was on a re-imagining mission. He asked people to think re-think what they had been taught. He challenged their version of what a life that honored God looked like. Jesus screwed with their theology. Not only is Jesus ok with re-imagining. He was all about it.

THE FLEXI-CHURCH
After Jesus leaves, His followers band together in communities. These communities grow and spread around the world. They adapt to each culture they take root in. Finding fresh expressions. Becoming all things to all people. Timeless truth works in many templates. Substance flows into different styles. Love translates into every language. And the re-imagination continues in re-formations and re-vivals.

RE-CONSTITUTION
Some fret that re-imaging will lead to watering down the message of Jesus. While this concern is valid, we fail to forget that our current versions of God and expressions of faith may not be complete either. As Christian thinker and activist Brian McLaren put it recently.

"Some will worry that we're watering down the Gospel. We're saying that the Gospel already got watered down. We need to re-constitute it."

If our current version of Jesus doesn't lay claim to every area of our lives- He's already watered down. If His teachings don't turn our world upside down- they're already watered down. If our churches aren't infecting our cities with the love of Jesus through acts of kindness, humility and compassion- they're already watered down. Time for some re-constitution.

RE-IMAGINATION HOW TO'S
A fresh expression of Jesus/faith/church may be appealing, but how do we start? Maybe with some IDEATING. Thinking, dreaming and talking certainly play a role in re-imagining. But eventually we want to do stuff. Jesus wants the same thing for us. We tend to think about faith and belief as a cognitive thing. For Jesus it was much more hands-on. His recurring invitation was TO ACTION. Jesus offered us a relationship and a new way of living that is discovered AS WE TRY IT FOR OURSELVES.

ARE YOU SURE?
Ready to do some re-imagining? While we may be frustrated and hungry to find an expression of faith/church/Jesus that works for us today, we should be warned that this isn't a clean and easy process. Just as Mr. Dyson's lab is probably littered with failed prototypes and his calendar is full of scratched out target dates, re-imagining takes time, patience and a lot of work. Ready to go?

IDEATE ON THIS:
Q: How has your view of faith/church/Jesus changed through the years? How many re-imaginations have you gone through?

Q: What has been missing or unsatisfying in your previous experiences with faith/church/Jesus? What hasn’t worked for you?

Q: Why have you stuck with/come back to Jesus/church?

Q: Are you ready to get “hands-on” in the ways of Jesus? With the people of Jesus? Why? Why not?

Q: What could you do to “follow Jesus” or “take on the yoke” of his teachings this week?