Day 8 - Issue 22
Proverbs 1:20 NLT
'Wisdom shouts in the streets. She cries out in the public square.'
When I became a Christian I was gathered into the evangelical wing of the Church. Whether I was taught this or picked it up through osmosis, I began to grow uncomfortable with reading certain things for fear that they might corrupt me, causing me to lose my faith. The great danger of that seed thought is that it creates a ghetto mentality, where I only find confidence and strength when surrounded by like-thinking or believing friends. Indeed, it’s clear that many churches, on the basis of pursuing truth, have in fact separated themselves unhelpfully from the world into which Christ sends them as disciples.
We live in a risk-averse society. There is much profit to be made, as advertisers remind us with their ceaseless offer of life insurance and health plans. Yet, in reality, we cannot outrun God and the consequences of living in a fallen world. We are invited to discover the wisdom that lives and breathes upon our streets. This is the best Christian college anyone of us might attend; it carries no financial fees, although we can pay a high price if deceived by sin.
Jayne and I are ‘empty nesters’. Our daughter went off to university on the edge of London and has made her life in the city. She is in the entertainment industry and you might imagine the anxieties we faced as we saw this vulnerable, naïve youngster set off to navigate life. Strangely, while church expressions leave her bored and uninspired, she has retained something of her Christian roots, prays for friends, prays with her boyfriend and asks for our prayers when facing a challenge. On her own admission, she has also discovered more of the reality of community than she observed and experienced in church.
I have no idea where her path will lead her, but I am convinced God is with her and that her understanding is that people are broken and vulnerable, that we share a common humanity, that we can find hope in Jesus and she has a responsibility to roll up her sleeves and help others while campaigning for justice.
QUESTION: Are you intimidated by life beyond your comfort zone?
PRAYER: Jesus, as you were sent by the Father, so you send us into the world. Help me to press in and not disengage.
