Lausanne 2010
The band are on good form tonight we sing “When the Spirit of the Lord come upon me…” with lots of guest solos and dancing in lots of languages. I know I talked about the globalisation of western worship music – but I go with the flow tonight and am enjoying the mix of colours , hearing the languages.
Now we are singing a truly spanish song (Con Con Con Poder) atleast I don’t recognise it as an English song translated into Spanish. There’s some great spanish guitar going on and a great vocalist. Everyone around is singing in Spanish – including the Egyptian, Turkish and Scots. The scotts have already asked for forgiveness about their lack of rhythm ! Here’s some of the lyrics from the song:
“Jesus first, second chance, turned…
In my work, in my school,
In this land God is moving spread the word”
Live his love make it real
Til divisions start to heal
God is not dead
Jesus is alive
He’s living in me
He changed my life…
This feels Caribbean and the Africans have got a dance on, things really going well tonight. Lots of energy and celebration of God’s global goodness. I think I saw my Scottish friend tap is foot in time ! There’s some great guitar work , the bass is jangling along, harmonies and the percussion is doing some great stuff. Smiles all round.
Now the Africans are helping us learn how to dance – it’s hard dancing and typing…!!
That was great – so back to “He is Lord” the multicultural vibe was going really well. Ah well – lots of hands lifted. A powerful voice from an African singer – she’s amazing like a cross between Aretha Franklin and Dame Kiri Tikiwana. Poor German lady has to follow her – but we all join in to help her out. Now the Korean diamond cardigan man is back and we do our best to sing along with words which contain more vowels than consonants. Now we sing in Arabic “Anta Arrab… Anta Arrab – He is Lord, He is Lord”.
We’re enjoying this a lot. The timers at the back have given up – there’s a huge screen pointing at the musicians telling them they have 00.00.00 minutes left for this song – but there’s a real spirit of excitement, unity and celebration so they wisely keep on going.
Great job musicians – and singers – choruses of Hallelujah, Amen echo around me.
Some great visuals of the world on the screen and now we have a brief history of urbanisation – (its better than it sounds). There’s some great Scottish accents in the background. Now more than 50% of the population of the world are city dwellers. 100 years ago 20 cities had a population of a million or more now over 400. 2 people per second join the urban population. There are 27 megacities, which have over 10 million city dwellers.
Acts 17 is read out over images from cities around the world. Now pictures of urban churches.
Lights go up and Tim Keller is on the stage:
Why we must reach cities
Culturally we must reach cities
“The financial times” and “Foreign policy” magazines did major issues on mega cities recently. “Cities rather than states are islands of governance…”
(just wondering why no one uses power point – there are lots of quotes that would be easier to read than hear.)
Missiologically we must reach cities
- young adults are in the cities – we must reach them there.
- the most unreached people in the world – are more reachable in cities, when they emigrate to cities – they break kinship ties, they are far more open to the gospel.
- The people that tend to make the films and form the cultures- you reach the elites
- The poor are also in the cities and God loves the poor
Viscerally- from the heart
- Jonah is unhappy that God hasn’t destroyed the city but he is very attached to a vine and he loves it. When the vine dies and he gets angry. God says “Jonah you love plants but I love people. ” In cities there are more images of God per square inch than anywhere else.
In the country there are more plants than people,
In the city there are more people than plants,
God loves people more than plants
God loves the city more than the country.
- 8 million people move into the city every two months, that’s one new Bangkok every two months. The people are moving to the city faster than God is.
City Churches must:
Churches in cities has to show faith relates to their work / vocations.
People in cities are more involved in their work
Church has to be intensely evangelistic and famous for justice.
There has to be a commitment to the arts.
Churches in the city have to be co-operative
“What good is the church that shows you nothing about what is 9/10th of your life.” Dorothy Sayers
We can do it!
In genesis 18 God visits Abraham and tells him he is going to destroy these cities. Abraham prays for the unbelieving cities (unheard of in the early patriachs) Why didn’t Abraham say let Lot go free and then blast them. Abraham endangers himself for Lots sake.
This could have been Abraham’s opportunity to get rid of them, instead he made a theological case for these cities. Abraham made a case like a high priest. In effect he made the case: Could the righteousness of the few somehow save the underserving many.
Abraham ultimately failed, he interceeded for people who might have killed him.
Jesus interceeded for people who did kill him
Abraham risked his life for the city
Jesus gave his life for the city.
When Jesus becomes our high priest we can become the priests that these cities really need.
(Keller has been great – gentle, persuasive, eloquent, theological, biblical. There’s no swagger or shouting. Lots of good comments around me in the room. I am a huge admirer of Keller’s work (see http://www.eauk.org/squaremile where Keller is one of the featured bible teacher in a resource we created to help churches think about integral mission in their community.) Keller holds the Lausanne line so helpfully – passionate about evangelism and about social justice – but in an ecclesiologically joined up way. I do always feel slightly sad for those who live in the countryside, the towns and villages. Or for those that have given their lives in service outside of the city- every time I have heard Keller argue for urban ministry he never caveats that God might have called people elsewhere – the impression can be that unless you are in the city like me – you are wasting your time. Keller is gracious I am sure he doesn’t want to come across like this. But I have challenged him about this face to face back in 1990s. I argued that Jesus actually did most of his ministry outside of the city – he came from Nazareth, he ministered in the foothills of Galillee and only towards the very end of his life ended up in Jerusalem. What do you do about Philip called away from revival in the city to the dessert to meet the Ethiopian Eunoch. I believe with Keller that cities are vital but just ask for a caveat that affirms those with other callings. God loves the whole earth…)
We get some urban dance moves in front of some amazing visuals in the background again – well done team!
Now a video about people on the move – diaspora people. Church planting on ocean liners, iranian churches in Birmingham UK, International student ministry in the USA.
Sadir Joy Tira from Canada is up now.
Even though no one is using powerpoint – the visuals are stunning – I know I said it already but it is very impressive for a visual learner like me.
Sadir reads out the picture in revelation of the crowds of all the nations gathered around the throne… lost the sound so can’t blog anymore.
My friend Rob Hay has posted the following on his blog:
Padilla and Escobar share their thoughts (I confess I am sitting here listening to two of my missionary heroes!)
Rene Padilla and Samuel Escobar now sitting on bar stools sharing reflections including unheard histories…at least for those of us who are ‘younger leaders’ (in Lausanne definition under 50!).
Michael Cassidy (platform speaker here) was accused of being a communist (by some in the mission scene) in the pre-Lausanne 74 mini conferences, for speaking against Aparteid!
Reflections on the challenges of getting a holistic view of mission into that first Lausanne Covenant of 74 in the drafting committee! hmmm makes me pray hard from Chris Wright and Rose Dowsett and the other members of the Statement Committee.
3 concerns they have for Lausanne III:
1. Discipleship – Jesus sent us to make disciples not converts
2. Globalization – an unjust economic system that is destroying the world
3. Environment – the destruction of the entire ecosystem supporting life.
MISSION IN THE SPIRIT OF LAUSANNE IS HOLISTIC MISSION – the final comment from Escobar and Padilla, which along with the 3 concerns stand as a hanging question mark in the air now above the gathering – a warning and a challenge!
Have a good evening – it’s a day off tomorrow – so see you soon.
Hey Krish, some good thoughts. My suggestion is that speakers are avoiding powerpoint because then they’ll depend on it, and it would only be in English. As it is, they must ensure they communicate verbally, which is being simultaneously interpreted.
I’m with you re Keller & Urban Mission – the good and bad.
But it was a German who was second on ‘Jesus is Lord’
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