August 2010

“But forget all that—
it is nothing compared to what I am going to do.
For I am about to do something new.
See, I have already begun! Do you not see it?
I will make a pathway through the wilderness.
I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.
Isaiah 43:18-19 (New Living Translation)

It might be August and not January but there seems to be a lot of “new” going on out there. Whether it’s the all new improved ‘Daybreak’ (described as a new dawn for GMTV) or the remakes of “The A Team” and “Karate Kid” hitting our cinema screens, everyone seems to like the concept of renewal and transformation. We appreciate keeping the best of the old and adding a sprinkle of the new. When interviewed, the director of GMTV, Alison Sharman, said that they “want to ensure that the core audience keep watching but are also determined to attract new viewers to our revitalised breakfast show”
Well it all sounds to me like the challenge the church has been facing for years. Replace ‘audience’ with ‘congregation’ and ‘watching’ with ‘worshipping’ and you get the picture. This summer, the church I attend is beginning work on what is dubbed as “Makeover with a Mission,” a building programme that will enable us to reach out to our local community by providing a venue suitable for a variety of purposes. The aim is not to serve ourselves, although of course we will benefit, but to be better equipped to serve our community.
I wonder what other makeovers with a mission God might want to begin in us. It may be that like Isaiah says, God is already starting something new in your life that you may not even have noticed. Or maybe God is asking you to embark on a new way of doing something that’s become very familiar and is at risk of becoming outdated or less relevant than might be God’s best.
The director of GMTV realised the importance of people and relationships “As we approach the next stage of this transformational journey our newly confirmed presenters will be the lynchpins of Daybreak with their unique and brilliant partnership.” And so our unique and brilliant partnership with God and each other may well be the key to transformation in our lives and churches.