INNOVATION: The DevotionalНамуна

“WHY INNOVATE?” A few months ago, I visited Naples, in Italy. During my stay, I walked down some incredibly picturesque streets and visited a few of the local churches. I was with some local youth pastors and I asked them what they thought about these remarkable and historic churches. They said that in Italy some people go to these churches to worship, whereas others go merely to observe. In other words, for some people the chapels are just religious museums, whereas for others they are places of community which help them to grow in their relationship with God. My first impression when I walked into one of these churches was the detail of the artwork. Every inch had been created and crafted to depict the splendour of God. I was so struck by this, and it inspired me to consider what I have in my hands to display my Saviour. It made me consider what I can innovate to demonstrate the grace that I have received! I made a decision when I first started in ministry to never disregard what has gone before, but rather to learn from it. It’s similar to when you’re driving a car; you spend the majority of the time looking in front of you at where you are going but you look back every now and then by checking the rear-view mirror. I believe this is what healthy innovation looks like. It’s building on what has been done before without casting it away; it’s tweaking, changing, and rearranging to make what we do better, more relevant, and more relational, in the pursuit of creating something wonderful. Ultimately, we can’t hold onto the past because residing there makes us feel comfortable. As the church, the reason why we want to innovate is to bring more glory to God. Isaiah 43:21 says “the people whom I formed for myself will make known my praise.” Ever since the beginning of time, God’s people have been innovating the way that they facilitate the presence of God and his worship. Every chance we get to innovate is a chance to declare that he is great, which really is a wonderful privilege and opportunity! Action Point – Think about how the innovation you bring about can bring glory to God and advance his kingdom.