Congregational Life Centre
Our mission is to encourage possibilities
Vision
Building the Future by standing on Jesus' Platform
We have had
quite a few political campaigns over the last few years. Candidates lay
out a platform that they promise to put into effect if elected. It is not
surprising that when Jesus started his ministry he laid out his platform.
You can find it in Luke's gospel.
The Spirit of our God is upon me;
because the Most High has chosen me
to bring good news to the poor.
God has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to set free the oppressed
and announce that the time has come
when God will save this people.
It is a platform that calls
* for freedom (to set free the oppressed) ...
* for justice - (liberty to the captives)
* for care for those with disadvantaged (the blind, the poor)
* and announces God's presence.
It was a platform that spoke in Jesus' day and is every bit as meaningful
in our time. There are many things today that oppress us and from which
we need to be freed. There are many things that hold us captive against
our will, that call for justice. There are many with disadvantages. And
the voices are loud calling for a new spirituality - wanting to know God's
presence in our lives.
Some two thousand years later Jesus' vision of a just society where people
know that God is with them is still a challenge. The task of a particular
congregation of God's people is to take up that challenge in the place where
they are located. It means discerning what aspect of Jesus' vision they
are being called by God to fulfill, and then making that dream a reality.
Vision Starts with You
How that happens is something else. Vision more often than not starts with
one person who observes a need and has an insight into how to meet it. There
is a marvellous passage in Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book Ethics that describes
what has to happen next. Check your own enthusiasm and dedication. If it's
there, check with others. Where "two or three are gathered together"
Jesus said.
If you find two or three who like it and want to get on board, look at
the big picture with them. How will fulfilling this need make a difference
in the lives of others? And how well does it fit with what Jesus saw as
God's love for every human being?
If all that checks out, share your vision as widely as possible. A vision
needs to become the "common vision" for which a community has
enthusiasm and passion for it to really become a reality.
A vision is like the horizon. You can never reach it, but the journey is
a time of great personal growth and community well-being.
Having a vision and carrying it out means making a difference in people's
lives. That is why we see vision as closely related to transformation and
leadership. It takes all three working in concert to make your vision a
reality.
"Leadership Ventures" Congregational Life Newsletter. October 2011. Volume 18 No. 2.