Emergent gathering

I just got back from an up/rooted gathering that Doug Pagitt spoke at in Long Grove. I'm glad I went. It wasn’t a big crowd and was pretty informal. We all just sat in a big circle (very “emerging”). I unexpectedly ran into a couple Vineyard pals from Crystal Lake, which was nice.

As a group, we did a couple prayer exercises from Doug’s book: Body Prayer, which was kinda cool. His talk/discussion centered on the premise that this is as good a place and time as any for the gospel to flourish. He countered the notion that God is/was more active in other times and places. He likened the concept to Einstein’s take on the universe, that the same rules of physics apply everywhere (not just in one place, i.e. earth). Jesus tells the disciples about being witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and the ends of the earth. No place or time is too dark or too far removed for the gospel to penetrate and touch it. The gospel doesn’t need a “good” environment to thrive (take the first century as an example). And it can, and is, thriving in urban and suburban places—we just need our eyes opened to see it.

I enjoyed Doug’s style: humble, witty, free flowing, passionate, engaging. It was a good talk for me to hear. I needed to be reminded of Jesus’ words, “The kingdom is at hand.” It’s so easy to believe that God is at work everywhere but where I am. There was a sense of hope that I wanted to grab on to. God is in my life. He is moving. The kingdom is advancing.

God, grant me a bigger vision of who you are and a deeper confidence in your gospel.

Now to bed I go.