Christian.

At one time
The powerful descriptor of a peculiar people.
Those who were like Jesus.
Students who followed him passionately.

Lovers of God.
Servants of the poor.
Disciples, who did not shrink even from death.

Today?

A subculture.
A western worldview.
A middle class political perspective.
NOT Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Atheist, Pantheist…
A synonym for the narrow-minded, anti-science, hate-filled.

What happened?

The Master’s call to continue the Father’s redemptive story and Make Disciples,
Brilliantly empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit turned the whole world upside down.
Forgiveness, salvation, healing, deliverance, transformation.
Eternities re-written.

But then

The Way become popularized, politicized, sanitized, centralized.
The call to repent, believe, take up your cross and follow faded.
The demand to Come Here, Sit Down, Shut Up and Pay Up grew.

And now

Good-hearted shepherds crater leading flocks that won’t follow.
Energetic leaders burn out. Passionate followers cool off.
Marriages falter, children wander, the righteous are silenced, the wicked prevail, cities rot.

Hell gets populated.

And yet

The Word still stands.
The Father still rules.
The Spirit still works.
The Son is still risen- indeed!

And the Bride…she still lives.

Pockets of holy discontent.
Whispers of “We can do better- we must do better!”

An echo from the past:
“All authority has been given to me.”

The memory of a long forgotten directive:
“Go and make disciples.”

The motivation of his empowering promise:
“I will be with you!”

Imagine a world
In which Christians again looked like Jesus.

Imagine a people
Who loved as he loves
Who followed his voice
Who joined in his cause

To seek and to save
To make disciples.

And answer the prayer

For His Kingdom to come…