God is in the Slums

“Whatever thoughts we have about god, who he is or where he sits, most will agree that God has a special place for the poor. The poor are where God lives. God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house.God is where the opportunity is lost and lives are shattered. God is with the mother who has infected her child with a virus that take both their lives. God is under the rubble in the cries we hear during war time.

God, my friends, is with the poor and God is with us if we are with them. This is not a burden, this is an adventure. Don’t let anyone tell you it cannot be done. We can be the generation that ends extreme poverty.”

-Bono

My Worldview

God is the supreme creator. He masterfully and artfully created the heavens and the Earth of which he himself remains at the center. He fashioned the greatest, most complex creation of all; man and woman. He created them in His image to be “transparent lenses”(1) that would glorify Him who we reflect. We were made to be in community with Him, to be a part of the “circular dance”(2) with the Father the Son and the Holy spirit.

Unfortunately human beings began to distance ourselves from this community. We believed the deceptions of the evil one and turned to independence and individualism. We began to forget who we were and in who’s image we were created. Our lenses become translucent, not accurately portraying the God we were made to glorify.

But God is a God of community and Justice. He longs to restore relationship with his children and put the world to rights(3). So in a mighty act of love he stepped into the created order, embodied in Jesus, to save and rescue all of humanity and restore his creation. Jesus came to us, entering into our pain and suffering, and laid down his life. In doing so He fixed the sin issue(4) making it possible for us to rejoin the circular dance.

Thus the kingdom of God broke into our world and Heaven and Earth intersected like two interconnected spheres(3). We hear “echoes of a voice”(3) that speaks of beauty, justice, spirituality and relationship. We see miracles, healing and restorations but we also witness disasters, suffering and bondage. One day God’s promises and purposes will be fulfilled and a new reign of justice will rule. At that time, Heaven and Earth will completely eclipse and the world will have been put to rights.

In the mean time we are called to live in community, loving God and loving people. We are to live fully in the image we were created as sub-creators and stewards of justice. We are commissioned to declare to the world that God “is indeed it’s wise, loving, and just creator; that through Jesus, He has defeated the powers that corrupt and enslave it; and that by his Spirit, He is at work to heal and renew it.”(2) And we are called to worship; to live fully and reflect back to the Creator, the King, the Saviour and Trinity the glory that we see in creation.

Written for Essentials Blue

(1)Dan Wilt, The Nature of Human Beings
(2)Dan Wilt, Stumbling into Mystery (Section 1, pg.3)
(3)N.T. Wright, Simply Christian
(4)Dan Wilt, The Nature of God

Rescue

I believe that over the next 10-20 years, one of the most important aspects of God and how we relate to Him in worship is that of Savior. The God who is mighty comes to Earth to save and to rescues us from ourselves and our shortcomings. God is so committed to us and loves us so much that he stepped into humanity and sacrificed his life in order to rescue us. And He not only did this for me, but for all of humanity. This is a God who is worthy of worship.

This being said I decided to write a song on this aspect of God’s character. God who saves, redeems, rescues, restores and releases. It is his plan to restore creation and put the world to rights. We are called to bring this good news and the hope that it brings to the world. This song is an anthem proclaiming these truths.

Rescue

Adrian Wilson-2009

Creation is groaning for the One
Who steps into its brokenness
Who finds the lost and hails the least
And moves in Justice

So in Your name
We will proclaim and…

Let the world know that rescue is coming
The Saviour is mighty to save
Restoring the broken
Releasing the captive
He is our hope, He is mighty to save

With mercy from the Father’s heart
He traded life for suffering
To justify and put to right
A world misshapen

The song can be heard at http://www.reverbnation.com/adriansethwilson

God – the Creator (Essentials Blue)

For: The Essentials Course Online Worship Course with Dan Wilt.

From Genesis we know that in the beginning God created the Heaven’s and the Earth. He seperated light from darkness and splashed colour across his macro painting.  He created land and brush stroked rivers and  vegetation. From his wildest imagination, He formed birds and mammals, reptiles and amphibians, insects and fungi. Every tiny element he made in intricate detail. Then He put his fingerprint on his artwork. He fashioned the greatest, most complex creation of all, man and woman.

But I believe that He did not stop there. God is the artist today that He was back then. He is like a songwriter who continually changes a word or a melody, or adds a bridge or a verse. God is constantly modifying his masterpiece bringing it to perfection. His creation is continually evolving into an even more beautiful and complex piece of art.

N.T. Wright writes about Heaven and Earth as two interlocking spheres which are not yet fully intersecting(1). The perfection and glory of the Heavenly sphere only partially intersects with Earth. One day though, the two spheres will fully eclipse and the glory of God will be fully realized on the Earth. God’s creation will be made perfect and His kingdom will reign over all the Earth.

(1) N.T Wright, Simply Christian: Why Christianity Makes Sense

Fully Alive (Essentials Blue)

For: The Essentials Course Online Worship Course with Dan Wilt.

When attempting to define worship I have always turned to Romans 12 which states that we are to (paraphrased) give our lives as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God as our spiritual act of worship. But I think I have focused too much on the ‘sacrifice’ part of the verse and not so much on the ‘living’ part.

In The Rise of the Worship Artisan, Dan Wilt reflects on words of the early Church father Irenaeus of Lyonsthe when he says “The glory of God is a human being; fully alive.” Dan beautifully describes worship as a life fully lived to the glory of God.

I’ve always known that worship was more than just music we sang at church on Sunday morning.But it never really hit me until now that my whole life, my breathing, my walking to work, time spent with my wife and kids, my creativity – everything is my worship to God.