Missio Dei

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From: Josh Epperson <joshua.leeland@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 2:29 AM
To: go@blogger.com
Subject: Missio Dei

Being sent into the world just as Jesus was sent. God is already there no matter where you go. Partnering with God in restoring everything back to work Him. When entering new environment and culture we should look to see what God is already doing or see who the oppressed are that are crying out to Him.

time to slow.

so i've been packing my schedule quite tight for the past few months and it's time to slow down. more than likely i think God is or has been all this time trying to get my attention. as though the sound has finally caught up to me and the words coming screaming by halting me to walk. just like a safety patrolman.

actually it came about due to achilles tendonitis. (thanks webmd) somehow i just either didn't stretch enough or just ran on it wrong playing softball on tuesday. i was also training to run the chicago marathon. that didn't last long. i got up to 10 miles though and kris' leg started hurting.

maybe there are more ways that God was tryin to slow me down. it almost sounds negative. especially in our culture today. but i think i'm missin quite more by zoomin on.

it's been this way for the past 6 years with life bridge. not that the fast paced progression hasn't had any positive effect, cause it has, but it's been too constant. particularly in all the roles i've played here. children's. students. families. communities. developing programs. tweeking programs. people coming and going. equipping leaders. just going everywhere oh so quickly.

slow.

sssssssssssssssssssssssloooooooooooooooooooooow.

discovering and escaping liturgy. by Dan Kimball

For years I served on the staff of a megachurch with a very contemporary style of worship. We had a state-of-the-art sound system, large video projection screens, pop-rock music, and a sophisticated lighting system. The worship services were programmed to the minute: predetermined transitions, upbeat intro songs, announcements backed with PowerPoint slides, sermons crafted with felt-need application points, and abundant video clips.

The church was growing as several thousand people connected with the presentations each week. But at the same time the church was thriving with one generation, I began to notice that younger adults were not engaging as well as their parents. So I began listening to these young people to discover why they were not resonating with this way of doing church.

I repeatedly heard that they were longing for something less "programmed." At the same time, I began hearing questions about "liturgy," a word I'd never heard before. I was not raised in the church, and my only church experiences at the time had been at an organ-led Baptist church and the megachurch where I was on staff. Even in seminary, I had never been taught about liturgy (literally, the "work of the people") or ancient forms of worship. And ministry conferences I attended only seemed concerned with the newest, cutting-edge trends.

continue reading...

my apologies.

So last night what I was trying to communicate about what Jesus was doing through the miracles found in Mark was totally wrong. I just wanted to clarify that so you can know that it was I that messed and not the Bible.

And how much more beautiful does it show through the book of John. Especially when he starts his book with the same words from Genesis that the Jews have been hearing for quite some time... "In the beginning..." And the rhythm begins. The beauty of it all starts there for all to join in the song. Not only would they recognize familiarity from of being naked and unashamed but they would also remember what they have been called to do since Abraham... to be a blessing to all nations. As John talks about Jesus and the miracles he's done, it continues the song but you can tell that it's building up. The song is coming to a point where all feelings and emotions will be moved, not just to listen but to get up, move your legs around and dance. The missio dei is to restore all things back to Him. This is what God wants and does this through the sending of Jesus Christ. This is also our mandate from Jesus himself. As Jesus was sent, so are we. And the song continues...

missional community @ life bridge... it's a start.

we are called to empower one more to walk together with God. this is ultimately a calling from Jesus himself. not only is it the mission of Jesus but from the Father. joining God in His redemptive story of rescuing His people. the pinnacle of this was the incarnation of Jesus. the life of Jesus (not only death and resurrection) is at the core of the incarnation. God taught how to live here and now on earth as it is in heaven. this is the life we're empowered to walk in. since the Father gave this mandate to His Son, this is also out mandate. we see this as the transformative agenda Jesus lived his life. just as Jesus was sent, so are we.

Mission takes place where the church, in its total involvement with the world, bears its testimony in the form of a servant, with reference to unbelief, exploitation, discrimination and violence, but also with reference to salvation, healing, liberation, reconciliation and righteousness... Looked at from this perspective mission is, quite simply, the participation of Christians in the liberating mission of Jesus, wagering on a future that verifiable experience seems to belie. It is the good news of God's love, incarnated in the witness of a community, for the sake of the world.

David Bosch - Transforming Mission, 519

dot dot dot...

Valparaiso may not seem so diverse of a city but if you look close enough, you can see many sub-cultures dwelling within it. We have commuters traveling to Chicago via the train or car. Local business owners making a buck or none. Veterans of the steel mills. Farmers growing and maintaining their crops. Local and out of state students attending V.U., PNC or Ivy Tech. The economic balance within the city is askew and you'll see pockets of racial diversity as well. Just a few blocks south of Life Bridge "the Hill" is known for it's poverty and low-income housing.

As Christians we're called to be sent out into our hurting world and join God in the renewal of all things. Bearing the image of the invisible God, being His Ambassadors, called to peace, mercy and love. Just as Jesus was sent, so are we.

As we recognize the diversity in Valparaiso we also nee to recognize  who it is we're being sent to. We are to do this by engaging our culture (in the world) without being absorbed by the culture (of the world.) This means we need to tear down our private fences and open up opportunities to know and love our neighbors.

Our missional villages exist for that purpose: to engage our culture with the image of the invisible God building relationships that transform lives. Each village is unique as is the diversity Valpo has to offer. But at her core are the Word of God and a nurturing village building each other up...

revelation.

it's all about Jesus.