Vision Sunday

Would you like a short synopsis of Pastor John’s message this week? Here it is: Everyone matters, because we’re committed to reaching people who aren’t here yet. Environment matters, because we want ekklesia to be a place where incarnational orthopraxy happens. Every detail matters, because we strive to incite a spirit of justice and advocacy for everyone. Relationship matters, because the people you know are the people you can impact. Growing up matters, because the journey for everyone is transformation in Jesus. And, last but not least, the message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.
That’s it. That’s what John preached about this week. And the previous paragraph actually contains the vision statement of Imago Dei. This is what we’re all about. And it all falls under the broader heading, which PJ calls “L3.” Love God. Love others. Love justice. Recently, PJ has been talking a lot about loving God and loving others. He has even challenged us to rethink how we love ourselves. Now, by reminding us of the vision of the church, he has added some flesh and muscle to this skeleton.
One might now say, “This is all well and good, but even those statements are rather vague. And I have no idea what some of those words even mean. For example, what the heck is ekklesia?”
That’s a good question. Fortunately, the answer is simple. As you read through the New Testament, wherever you see the word, “church,” the Greek word that was used is “ekklesia.”
Ah, but what about incarnational orthopraxy? That’s a mighty big term. But as John said, it simply means doing life together. The root of incarnational is, of course, incarnation. If you’ve been involved in church for any length of time, or if you’ve ever studied theology, you may remember that when we speak of the Incarnation, we are talking about the humanity of Jesus Christ. When God came down to earth and became a man, the Incarnation took place. John’s gospel put it this way: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), and then, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us” (v. 14).
So the Incarnation is, if you will, the in-flesh-ment of God. So when we speak of incarnational orthopraxy, we’re saying that we want to “flesh out” the principles of Christianity. We want our faith and our values to actually influence our daily lives. We want to live it out, especially in relation to other people. For example, it is not enough for us to talk about such intangible concepts as the grace of God. We need to show people the grace of God by being gracious toward them.
Of all the values that PJ talked about and are listed above, the one I appreciate most is the last. “The message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.” As someone who grew up in church and has had the opportunity to receive some extensive Biblical and theological training, I can say that without Jesus Christ, there would be no church. Jesus instituted the Church. Jesus is the head of the Church, which is said to be His body. Jesus loves the Church. Jesus died for everyone who would eventually be part of the Church. A church that does not focus on Jesus Christ is not a church at all.
Could you imagine what Imago Dei would be like if we did not focus on Jesus? Yes, we would still all be good friends. We’d still have lunch after the worship service. Pastor John could easily get up and talk about how we can live a better life and focus on loving other people. We’d still volunteer at the Union Gospel Mission and help the Vision House.
But what kind of songs would we sing? Who would we worship? Where would we find the power and ability to live the life we’re supposed to live? On what basis would we call ourselves Christian? Without Jesus, Imago Dei would be just a social club.
Jesus Christ is essential to the church. Jesus Christ is the reason we have church. So I am glad that at Imago Dei, the message matters, because the message is Jesus Christ.

Questions For Study & Application

1. Do I agree with the values listed in the Vision Statement of Imago Dei?

2. Am I allowing my faith to influence my daily life?

3. Who am I impacting every day? Am I having a positive or a negative impact on these people?

4. Do I know what the message of Jesus Christ is? Could I explain it to someone in just a couple of minutes?