Our devotion is by GLYNIS GOYNS who serves St Marks in Moregloed and also works for the South African Faith Communities' Environment Institute (SAFCEI).
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I will open my mouth in parables,
I will utter hidden things, things from of old--
3 what we have heard and known,
what our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children;
we will tell the next generation
the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD,
his power, and the wonders he has done.
5 He decreed statutes for Jacob
and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our forefathers
to teach their children,
6 so the next generation would know them,
even the children yet to be born,
and they in turn would tell their children.
7 Then they would put their trust in God
and would not forget his deeds
but would keep his commands. Psalms78:2-7
Ps 78:4 is a commitment not to hide God's power and his amazing actions from _their_ children, not _ours_. (The "their" is "our fathers") What does this mean? The generation gap and cultural divide are overturned.
The truth is that we're much better at living in the certainties of the present, and looking back to what is known and proven in the past than we are at envisioning and embracing the unexplored in the future. Yet we're called to wrap the message of the gospel, to package the teachings of God's Word so "the next generation" and "even the children yet to be born" will "know them" and, in turn, will "tell their children". Mission isn't only reaching out across geographic space from one nation to another; it's stretching across the vast reaches of time, bringing God's love and justice to all creation.
If we're to be effective ambassadors for God far into the distant reaches of time, we need to be more adventurous about the unknown and the unfamiliar. We need to picture the church in 50 years' time and far beyond. We need to be creative in how we shape the message so it can be received and understood by those who speak a different language and live in a different context, or those who respond to a different style of worship, but without losing the essence of the message spoken by a God who is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.
I've just completed a three month journey with a group of confirmation candidates, culminating in a weekend camp. The Apostles' Creed formed the solid basis of all we discussed along the way. At the weekend camp, the group was challenged in the words of Eugene Peterson contemplating Jeremiah 12:5 to "run with the horses" as they participated in a horse trail in the Magaliesburg. They then physically explored the nature of faith and journey out of darkness into light as they went on a twilight bat cave adventure at Sterkfontein. Finally, they were challenged to explore their own faith as they wrote a personal, modern creed to explain the essence of their belief to their contemporaries. The Creed-writing was a thought provoking exercise and while some might find issues for theological debate in the content of these personal creeds, this was how they understood their commitment in faith as teenagers ready to share their beliefs with their friends in a modern context.
"Father, help us to be creative in how we pass on your message of hope so our children may be inspired to carry the torch of faith in the darkness with strength and courage, and to engage with the unexplored, passing your teachings on to future generations far into the distant reaches of time as they follow the way of Jesus in the power of the Spirit. Amen
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Theo Groeneveld theo@emmanuel.org.za
You can see past EmmDevs at http://emmdev.blogspot.com/
