_________, Justice, Jazz

When I first had this idea of multiple people blogging (unofficially) the Gathering on the ground a friend of mine asked if he should be nice. What he meant, I think, was how to handle those awkward moments when you need to constructively criticize what is happening. So I guess I'll just jump right in and stick my neck out.

While our three speakers this evening has some great things to say (and one had incredible presence), I found it disturbing that Jesus was not explicitly mentioned until the third speaker. Now don't get me wrong. I'm all for loving acts of service, of Jesus' work being done by whomever and whenever. But I think as Christians we have not only an obligation but a deep desire to ground what we are doing in the One who animates our serving, in the One who gives us new life. And his name is Jesus.

Also, what is up with Lost and Found not headlining this event? Their music is good, their theology is both sound and deep, and they know how to work a crowd. And Jesus appears rather regularly in their work.