Picture 1 is when a few us watched cricket at the IPL with 20 thousand other people. (Note I don’t say cricket lovers - however I would say most are.) Picture 2 is when the fam and I visited Grace Bible church in Soweto with 7 thousand other people. (Note I don’t say Christ lovers - however I would say most are.) Picture 3 is me at an empty Loftus a day before Super 14 final. There was actually something distinctly spiritual in sitting there, ‘drinking in’ the space inside this cultural phenomenan - (some cynics would say idol temple).
I think a lot of how we serve God is inseperable with culture. It is still embedded in culture. I’m not always particularly proud of my culture when I see Bulls fans with horns on their head and other stuff on their tow-bars, when I look at what’s best selling music in our country, and when I experience what I find to be strange cultural expressions of faith. Some God-lovers judge all these different cultural phenomena. Because they don’t understand it.
I don’t think God does. He just loves us anyway.
So here’s to embracing culture and respecting those we don’t understand. (Clink) (’Clink’ - another cultural tradition)
Here’s to the Bulls. (Clink)
Here’s to the Deccan Chargers who won the IPL. (Clink)
Here’s to the Mega Church. (Clink)
And all their fans (Clink)
And here’s to every other avenue we explore in exploring our spirituality. (CLINK)
MAY WE FIND GOD WHETHER IT BE AT LOFTUS OR AT CELL GROUP OR AT HOME OR UNDER A TREE OR WITH A GLASS OF WINE OR AS WE EXPERIENCE FORGIVENESS OR SALVATION AS WE WORSHIP OR AS WE DRINK IN THE SILENCE OR AS WE CELEBRATE LIFE HOWEVER WE DO OR AS WE TALK TO EACH OTHER OR AS WE GATHER TOGETHER IN WHATEVER FORM AND FOR WHATEVER REASON
WHETHER WE LIKE TO CALL HIM JESUS OR FATHER OR HOLY SPIRIT… AND AS WE ATTEMPT TO UNDERSTAND MORE OF HIM IN THE FULLNESS OF WHO HE IS
clink