It doesn’t take a lot of time to recognize that our world is different than what many of us grew up with or have much familiarity with. Life is lived today in the fast lane, where it seems everything must happen in the instant. Communication is less about meeting with someone face-to-face, but done more through a text message or tweet. Also, we are long past the days where opening the doors on Sunday mornings meant large numbers of people would want to come or feel the need to worship.

Much has changed in the world with many of these changes taking place over the last 10 years. These changes provide challenges to our church and our mission to make disciples in the name of Jesus Christ. At the same time, I believe these changes has led to the most exciting time to be in the church or in ministry. We can no longer sit back and expect people to come to us. We must go to them.

One of the things that excites me about ministry today is the abundance of narratives that are prevalent today. We are recognizing that there are many voices in our world and these voices need to be heard. Where in previous times we might have only heard from a select or influential few, we now see the worth and importance of having a diverse set of narratives and what these narratives bring to our discussions. I think this allows us to see God in a deeper way and to reflect on the love of Jesus Christ in ways that are relevant, truthful, and meaningful to all. Continue reading “Jesus’ Trial, the Crowds, and Us”