The Ekklesia Exigency

exigency: a case or situation that demands prompt action or remedy; emergency

I'll be honest: I'm a little frustrated.

I've been looking at the Ekklesia lately... in fact, it's all I've been thinking about, the Ekklesia... the solid yet fluid, settled yet mobile, local yet global body of Believers... as my friend Erik puts it, the Church is “the people who are”; I think that's fitting since the “I Am” has children who should naturally be called the “Who Are”...  in addition to all that, I've been consumed w/ everything Kingdom = Kingdom mindsets & perspective, Kingdom economics, etc.

I've been in ministry a long, long time; I encounter & counter many religious mindsets, some I used to defend myself, but lately I've been going back to one thing: Creation & Creativity.

I still marvel at the imagination of God.
I don't marvel at the imagination of the Ekklesia.

• Why is the Ekklesia not spearheading the fashion world?
• Why is the Ekklesia not trailblazing the music world w/ new sounds?
• Why is the Ekklesia not taking a vanguard position in relation the arts?
• Have the inventions ended or are only secular people inventing things now?  
• Has the Ekklesia lost it's creative instinct & edge?
• The same Spirit that created this universe, this world abides in us; where is the “new thing”, where is the creativity?
• Why is the Ekklesia not setting the standard but playing copycat & catch-up w/ the world? 

This bugs me.
This frustrates me.

There's two words that are closely related as one comes from the other: vanguard & avant-garde.

Vanguard: the foremost division or front part of an army, advance guard... the forefront of any movement, field, activity or the like... the leaders of any intellectual or political movement...

Avant-Garde: the advance group in any field, especially in the visual, literary or musical arts whose works are characterized by chiefly unorthodox & experimental methods... unorthodox or daring, radical... of such artists, their ideas or techniques..,

You get the picture but is this the picture you get though

 when you think of the Ekklesia? 

Is the Ekklesia the vanguard or the rearguard? 

These lyrics from John Elefante's song “Pass the Flame” have been resonating in me:

Any way the wind blows 
Don't you think that God knows 
We must pass the flame 
We must pass the flame 
We are the light in a darkened world 
We are the fire on the arrow 
We must pass the flame 
We must pass the flame

And Lord, help us teach Your children well 
And turn embers in to fire 
Make Your love their soul desire 

I love the line, “We are the light in a darkened world, we are the fire on the arrow”, think about it, the fire on the arrow not the puny, pathetic fiery darts of the enemy...

'Would love to hear some thoughts on this, feel free to comment ~