Generation United

I've been involved in vocational ministry for just over eight years, and been in the church in one way, shape or form for 28 years. In my church experience I have seen a lot of different seasons of ministry. I've seen seasons of growth, seasons of death, seasons of change, seasons of hope and seasons of heartbreak. Through all of these seasons, one thing has remained constant...Jesus and His love for humankind.

I've been waking up each day this past week with a new perspective on life and ministry in general. It is truly a privilege to serve in and be a part of the body of Christ. Last night, in particular, I was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the opportunity that we as the church in Canada, and specifically in Calgary, have during this upcoming season in our lives. Two pictures came to mind that kept me up a good portion of the night. The first was the celebration that took place within the nation of Israel recorded in chapter 3 in the book of Ezra. Having endured exile in a foreign country, the people of Israel were finally given their freedom, and together they pursued rebuilding their nation and more importantly, their place of worship...the temple of God. This happened in two phases, the rebuilding of the altar, and then the rebuilding of the temple itself. The entire project would have come out looking something like this following photograph.

After completing this project, the nation gathered together to celebrate. The young people shouted for joy while the older generations broke down in tears. As I was picturing this unfolding in my mind, I couldn't help but wonder what it would have felt like to be a part of the older generation in this moment. To witness restoration firsthand would indeed be overwhelming and would definitely push me towards brokenness as well.

As I was pondering this thought, lyrics to the Delirious song, Did You Feel the Mountains Tremble, began scrolling through my head. There were two word pictures in particular that captured my fascination: Young and Old will turn to Jesus....open up the doors and let the music play, let the streets resound with singing, songs that bring your hope, songs that bring your joy, dancers who dance upon injustice.

This to me is a picture of the living, breathing, body of Christ uniting for a common purpose...the love of Christ. Compelled by love, I believe the church can and will do amazing things in and through Jesus. I believe we are entering a season where we will begin to see these word pictures recorded in the book of Israel and in the lyrics of this song come to life again. I sense God is calling the church into a greater relationship with Him...and this call extends beyond generational boundaries. I believe God desires the parts of His body to engage the world around them with tenacity, vigilence, determination and love in action. The change we desire to see in our world will come in and through us as we seek to become the church that Christ sacrificed His life for each and every day.

The time has come for generation united...people of all ages gathered together to partner with the mission of God. The world around us needs hope, joy and people who will stand against injustice. The call of Christ compels us to act and to intervene and to demonstrate His love with an ever increasing awareness of compassion in our world today.