so much more...

reading about the church today, suffering, and the glory of God in the middle of it all. nt wright speaks about this all meshing together in a pretty profound way:

"we tend to think of the world getting itself into a hopeless mess, and the church going off and hiding in a building somewhere singing God's praises, pretending that all is well with them. that's not paul's picture of the church...his vision is that it is called to be where the world is in pain, so that by sharing the pain, it can be the means through which God himself, by the Spirit, is present even there."

he goes on to suggest that when the church gets messy and there is turmoil and pain in a congregation, it's not a sign of a wrong turn, but rather of the presence of God and humanity and the mediation of the Spirit between His great purpose for His church and the brokenness of people who are quick to want what we want and don't see the big picture involved. maybe some strife is a sign of God's presence and good things; pain and hurt in the midst of a congregation signifies reality and humanity that needs to be redeemed.

thinking of the new year and what might lie ahead, i'm really excited to see where we as a body are going. who knows the joy, the hurt, the struggle, the challenges that are coming. but know that if we are focused on Him, committed to seeing the kingdom come here, and willing to endure, great things will come about because He'll be in the midst of us.

and that is life changing stuff.