The creed continues in its third paragraph… “I will go into the world as a loving, transforming presence, holistically fulfilling my calling to counter culture like an alien, to communicate in culture like an ambassador, and to create culture like an artist, honing my skills of discernment, discovery, and dual listening.”
That first clause is a real challenge. As Christians we often shirk the responsibility of being present in culture and so we lose the opportunities that raise themselves that allow the transformation process to begin through us. Is this robbing our joy too? I want to be a loving, transforming presence wherever I am. To be this in the world means I need to be this in all the communities I mingle with- with Christ followers and with the Christless. To be present in all aspects of life, not just being a plumb-line or ruler where others feel convicted of their wrongs, but being present in such a way that others see us as light, guides in the darkness, and salt; adding flavour to the often tasteless banality of everyday living. Staub calls us to be counter cultural. Christians have the opportunity to see things from the outside and yet to speak from within culture. This is so difficult for those with the mentality that we ought to be protecting ourselves from the ‘world’ by retreating into our Christian schools, clubs and churches. These have there place, but so often we cocoon ourselves from the world in such a way that our witness is blunted. We must be concious that we are to be communicating in culture like ambassadors. This means that we need to be involved in our communities. God is at work ‘out there’. Lets join him. The Christian church has led the way in creating culture in the past. Today we are so quick to mimic the culture in trying to get our message across. We need to recapture our ability to be culture shapers and creators. Staub’s encouragment is that we hone our skills of discernment, discovery, and dual listening. To do this effectively I need to be out there with my neighbors and with my teenage children. To be in the places where life is lived and be with people, in their joy and despair available as salt and light in their transitions of life. At the same time I need to be reading my Bible and listening to God’s voice in all of this. This takes time… something that I need to carve out. Lets pray together that we do that.
