The Cross-stitch church - what will happen to the pattern? 1) Leave it as it is?

I'm reading currently Martyn Atkins' book Resourcing Renewal and have found it surprisingly optimistic in its view of traditional church or 'inherited church' as Martyn calls it. He tells tales of inherited churches that have found renewal and have therefore made strides towards actually living and breathing something of what 'real' church is about. For me, reflecting on the image of church as a peice of cross-stitch there are three main options for what could possibly happen next. Remembering the concept of the church being the pattern and design woven by God the Great Artist the first option is to leave the pattern as it is.

In a number of the homes of people in my congregation there are cross-stitch designs hung up on the wall, or propped up on the mantle peice, my own grandparents have many in their living room. They are of country scenes, maybe churches, maybe trains or other vehicles, but one thing is for certain the design has always been what the design is. It is no doubt an expression of creativity, a work of art, but once it has been created that is it - it will always be what it will be - a dormant, inactive work of cross-stitch. I guess this is the first major point as to why this image of the church as cross-stitch breaks down. God is consistently longing to remake and remould what He has created, it His plan for individuals and surely is His plan for communities of faith also. A peice of cross-stitch cannot be remade or remould, its exists as it is. Or does it? (i will reflect on this next time).

So we're left with the question - does God want to leave the church like those cross-stitch designs in old people's homes - left to gather dust, never changing or evolving? It is my firm conviction that to answer 'yes' to this question is to misunderstand the character and personhood of God fundamentally as revealed in the Scriptues and revealed in human experience. Surely churches that are content to let things be as they always have been will end up gathering dust, will decay and continue to function detached from an experience or understanding of who God is and what He is like. One option for the church is to leave things as they are, ignoring signs of decay, but surely this isn't really an option.

Also PS to Joe Hildred, i shamefully forgot again! But have put a reminder on my phone for sunday eve. PPS i stuffed Lincoln on Football Manager.

The Cross-Stitch Church - The Great Artist

Of all the great images of God in the Scriptures, in poetry or in fiction the one that appeals to me most at the moment is of God as the Great Artist. I love CS Lewis' portrayal of God as Aslan with all that that comes to mean for the Narnia parables, i love the Old Testament pictures of God as the 'Ancient of Days' or 'Fountain of Life' but at the moment the idea of God as the Great Artist is really appealing to me - maybe because much of my thinking is around the idea of the church as a peice of creative expression.

Following on with that theme, if the gauze is the world, the church the beautifully expressive design within that world or the thread, the needle the church leaders who pull the thread into position then there can be no other place to go than to view God as the designer par excellence - the Great Artist.

I have hope for the church, not based on it's beauty, not based even on its people (you should see some of the one's i have to deal with!!). My hope for the church is based in my hope and belief in a God who is creative, a God who loves to design, a God who loves to weave exiting and interesting patterns all over the place therefore reflecting His own image of beauty and dynamism. My hope for the church rests soley in my hope in the Great Designer. In the metaphor of the church as a peice of cross-stitch i believe the arist who holds the needle, who weaves the pattern onto the gauze is the the Ancient of Days, the Fountain of Life, the Living God mysteriously and wonderfully Three wrapped up in One.

Perhaps though, even though i am blantantly stating the obvious in what's written above, it serves as a challenge to each of us who are followers of Jesus and therefore a part of the church. If God is weaving a design, do i trust the future of the church to Him or continue to fret? If God is the Great Designer, do i as a church leader need to continue to run around in a mad panic subconsciously believing that the whole future and ministry of the church rests on me or do i relax and try to let the design unfold before my very eyes? If God is stitching the pattern what is it to be?

I guess its the last question - 'what is God doing?' that consumes so much of our thinking. Surely all of us in ministry - which means all followers of Jesus - have the task not of trying to drum up some action for God to bless, but to see where He is already at work, weaving His expressive and wonderful design and attempting to find ways to be a part of that. The question still remains though 'what is God doing?'. Again, i remind myself (even if no-one cares!) that i started this blog to attempt to try and unravel for myself some of my thinking about the church. Is the church of Jesus Christ in its traditional western form coming to an end? Is God doing a new thing? I hope to explore that more and more in the days and weeks to come. If you have an answer, me and i guess thousands of other church leaders would love to hear it.