Where is God at work? What might God be up to? Where God is, there is a spirit of resurrection. There is a spirit of newness. The triune God is not lazy, but is moving, active, forming and transforming the world. As Christians, we hold fast to this promise; that this is God’s world, which God created, redeemed, and continues this activity. In all things, God is bringing fullness to creation. God is, even when things seem dead and hopeless. Much has been said about the position and state of the church in respect to a nearly absent generation of emerging adults from the pews. Chicken Littles bemoan how the sky is falling, and will they ever return to church, once they have grown up and settled. Is it a sign of the death of the church? Is now the time to panic?
If we serve a God who is always doing a new thing; why is it that there is a fear of what is new in the world? Could we also believe that the God who creates could also be the God behind the creative ingenuity of technology? Could we believe in the articulation of human longing in media, there is something of the image of God calling and yearning as well? Why is it that we, who expect God to do a new thing, are most upset when God doesn’t move as we expect and does not follow the old patterns?
There is a curious intersect where I wonder about the activity of God in the world, one that may be surprising. Within the tumult and unrest that can be a part of the emerging adult experience, these people find community, connection, hope, and a place of belonging. Emerging adults explore their voice and further their search for identity. Through it, some of where they fit in a larger world makes sense. It’s called social networking, and is now a part of the world in which we live. And the world in which we live is God’s.
This is, I think, filled with both good and encouraging news for the church and also some discomforting news as well. The church’s job in this era is to be a wondering child; to look, wonder, and ask questions of those around them, and be amazed at the wonders God is doing. The church’s job is to wonder at the activity of God in the world. The job of the church is to see the hurts and pains of greater world and respond with an outpouring of Christ’s love. If the church is not in the world, the church is not doing its job, since its people are in the world.
And the world is changing. Rapidly. Changes in technology and media have greatly impacted our everyday lives. It changes the rhythm of our days, the ways in which we communicate with each other, the way we relate to one another and the greater world community. We are, in the same breath, closer and further away. Technology and the use of it, is a part of how we are, it frames the way in which we relate and engage the world. It is essential, therefore, for the integrity of the church in mission, to be in the world, which means the audacity to also engage technology.
Where is God at work? What might God be up to? Where God is, there is a spirit of resurrection. There is a spirit of newness. The triune God is not lazy, but is moving, active, forming and transforming the world. As Christians, we hold fast to this promise; that this is God’s world, which God created, redeemed, and continues this activity. In all things, God is bringing fullness to creation. God is, even when things seem dead and hopeless. Much has been said about the position and state of the church in respect to a nearly absent generation of emerging adults from the pews. Chicken Littles bemoan how the sky is falling, and will they ever return to church, once they have grown up and settled. Is it a sign of the death of the church? Is now the time to panic?
If we serve a God who is always doing a new thing; why is it that there is a fear of what is new in the world? Could we also believe that the God who creates could also be the God behind the creative ingenuity of technology? Could we believe in the articulation of human longing in media, there is something of the image of God calling and yearning as well? Why is it that we, who expect God to do a new thing, are most upset when God doesn’t move as we expect and does not follow the old patterns?
There is a curious intersect where I wonder about the activity of God in the world, one that may be surprising. Within the tumult and unrest that can be a part of the emerging adult experience, these people find community, connection, hope, and a place of belonging. Emerging adults explore their voice and further their search for identity. Through it, some of where they fit in a larger world makes sense. It’s called social networking, and is now a part of the world in which we live. And the world in which we live is God’s. 
This is, I think, filled with both good and encouraging news for the church and also some discomforting news as well. The church’s job in this era is to be a wondering child; to look, wonder, and ask questions of those around them, and be amazed at the wonders God is doing. The church’s job is to wonder at the activity of God in the world. The job of the church is to see the hurts and pains of greater world and respond with an outpouring of Christ’s love. If the church is not in the world, the church is not doing its job, since its people are in the world. 
And the world is changing. Rapidly. Changes in technology and media have greatly impacted our everyday lives. It changes the rhythm of our days, the ways in which we communicate with each other, the way we relate to one another and the greater world community. We are, in the same breath, closer and further away. Technology and the use of it, is a part of how we are, it frames the way in which we relate and engage the world. It is essential, therefore, for the integrity of the church in mission, to be in the world, which means the audacity to also engage technology.