ReFrame Episode 1 - The Reframing Story

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ reframes everything, bringing hope, life, and meaning to every part of human culture. And yet many of us can't see how our faith shapes much of everyday life and experience Sunday to Sunday, the in-between days. Where was Jesus? I didn't think about the whole of who I am, what I was passionate about, and how God uniquely made me. What God's purpose is for us? What does it mean to be made in the image of God? How do we live in the world but not of the world? God wants to make us more ourselves. He is holding all things together, and he is reconciling all things to himself. We're exploring how does the biblical story reframe our story. We live out of our stories, so be located in the story, the biblical story in which God reveals himself, his character, and his life.

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[Music] Jesus Christ is the most compelling person in world history. Christians believe his life, death, and resurrection is the starting point of a wholly new way of understanding all of creation.

[Music] For in him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities. All things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. He’s the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things.

[Music] The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the center of history and the center of revelation. Christ came to make us whole, fully human, integrated again, restoring all the broken pieces. Jesus is present to us as Lord in New York City, in Vancouver, in Hong Kong, in Sydney, or in some little town no one has ever heard of. He is Lord of that place as well. Our Lord Jesus is the Lord of all. Night is our Lord whether we are asleep or awake. We live in him. The call of the gospel and the claims of God and of the lordship of Christ in our lives has to do with all of who we are. Welcome to Reframe. Throughout this series, we're going to be asking one big question: If Jesus is the Redeemer of all things, how does faith reframe every aspect of our lives? To answer this question, we're setting out on a journey to find out how the biblical story expands and challenges our understanding of who God is, who we are, and the role of Christian faith in the modern world. We'll be meeting people from around the globe who are asking questions about faith in their everyday lives.

I think the hardest thing for me over the years has been to sort out exactly how what I do day-to-day connects with my faith. I became less and less interested in my work as I got more and more involved in the church. I'm an accountant. Like, what has that got to do with God? You're trained to think that your life is going to be so epic, and really our lives are so ordinary. I hardly am able to find any meaning or fulfillment for what I was doing. Every morning I got up, having my cup of coffee, and picked up my briefcase, put my notebook, laptop computer, and then moved out. And then it's just like that, man, working. Does God care about my work? Does my work have anything to do with his work? Is my work relevant to what he's doing in the world?

In each episode, we'll be exploring exciting and relevant biblical teaching with top theologians, and we'll be unpacking each topic with thought leaders who will help us understand how the Bible makes sense of our lives today. Reframe is about asking difficult questions and engaging in deeper conversations about faith, discipleship, and mission. One of the little gospel songs that we sang when I was a boy was "When we're saved, saved to tell others." I began to wonder, well, if we're saved to tell others, and if that's what we're here for, then what are others saved for? What are we here for as human beings? What's our task? The question: Does God really care about life? Who's going to care about the city? Does God care about cultures? I think probably the deeper question is, so who is God? What kind of God do we believe in? Because you see, if we get God wrong, we're going to get that question wrong. Our hope is that your vision of what God is doing in the world will flourish and grow along with a renewed sense of confidence in Jesus and his gospel. This course aims to help Christians like you and me live out our faith in all of everyday life. Reframe is about nothing less than encountering Jesus afresh and allowing his story to transform our story. The Bible claims that Jesus is the Lord over all things, but it is not always clear how this is true in modern life. In this session, we're going to ask: Can the Bible really speak to the complexities and challenges of our lives today?

I'm going to tell you a story about my great auntie Mary. Back in the 1980s, I got my first pair of contact lenses, which at that point made me an early adopter of this revolutionary technology. Suddenly, I could see this broader frame of vision, and it was all in focus without the frames of my glasses in the way. So I was very happy. Some time later, I went back home from university. I probably needed to get the washing done or something, and my great auntie Mary was there. Now, there's a few things you need to know about Auntie Mary. She was a rather formidable lady. She was born in 1896, so at that point she was in her 80s, and she had decidedly fixed opinions, shall we say. So when Auntie Mary saw me, she said, "Where are your glasses?" I tried to explain to her that I didn't need them. I had these really tiny invisible pieces of plastic that were just on my eyeball. What? Great Auntie Mary drew herself back and looked at me and in a stern voice said, "Dutch, tell me lies now." Life today is complex, isn't it? The pace of change seems unbelievable. It's hard to keep up with it, even harder to make sense of it. Somehow contemporary life seems to be leaving us behind, leaving behind something also of our humanity. Sophisticated communications technologies are everywhere, but according to the opinion polls, most of us feel lonely. We have labor-saving devices for everything, from making coffee to cleaning our teeth, yet who among us feels like we have more free time? Our economy keeps getting more productive, but we're less and less confident than ever that our health, our retirement provisions are sufficient, or that our children will inhabit a better world than the one we do. For sure, the modern world has brought us much that we wouldn't want to do without, but it's also brought the challenge of complexity. Amidst the postmodern fragmentation of many of the customs, institutions, and expectations that previous generations could count on, increasingly we're left as individuals to figure things out for ourselves. But it's harder and harder to make sense of it all. And in the midst of all this, we're inundated with messages telling us what to do. Self-help publishing has become a growth industry. Commercials tell us to invest in the latest financial product until we see the next ad that tells us we can buy now on credit because you're worth it. The institutions of government, science, and most recently, of course, finance have followed the church and its teachers into the growing throng of leadership voices that we used to trust but now feel let down by and suspicious of. Part of the complexity of contemporary life is precisely the confusion, the babble of voices offering to help us navigate the surprisingly unpredictable terrain of early 21st-century life. There are a whole host of competing stories in our culture about what life is really about, how to get on, how to make sense of everything, how to be happy. What does Christian faith have to do with all of this? If we want to take the claims of Jesus Christ seriously, this is a question we must answer. Jesus said he came to save and redeem the whole world, and he claims the authority of Lord of all the world to do this. So is Christianity relevant to the whole of my life, or does God not?

town no one has ever heard of he is Mort of that place as well our Lord give us is the Lord of all night is our Lord whether we are asleep awake we live in him the call of the gospel and the

claims of God and of the lordship of Christ in our lives has to do with all of who we are welcome to refrain throughout this series we're going to be asking one big question if Jesus is the Redeemer of all

things how does faith reframe every aspect of our lives to answer this question we're setting out on a journey to find out how the biblical story expands and challenges our understanding of who God is who we are and the role of

Christian faith in the modern world we'll be meeting people from around the globe who are asking questions about faith in their everyday lives I think the hardest thing for me over the years has been to sort out exactly how what I

do day-to-day connects with my faith I became less and less interested in my work as I got more and more involved in the church I'm an accountant like what has that got to do with God you're trained to think that your life is gonna

be so epic and really our lives are so ordinary I highly able to find any mainly fall for what I was doing every morning I got up having my cup of coffee and pick up my briefcase put my notebook

laptop computer and then move out and then it's just like that man working does God care about my work does my work have anything to do with his work is my work relevant to what he's doing in in

the world in each episode we'll be exploring exciting and relevant biblical teaching with the top theologian and we'll be unpacking each topic with thought leaders who will help us understand how the Bible makes sense of our lives today reframe is about asking

difficult questions and engaging in deeper conversations about faith discipleship and mission one of the little gospel songs that we sang when I was a boy was when we're saved saved to tell others I began to wonder well if

we're saved to tell others and if that's what we're here for one of the others saved for what are we here for as human beings what's our what's our task the question does God really care about life who's going to care about city is

God care about cultures I think probably the deeper question is so who is God what kind of God we believe in him because you see if we get God wrong they were to get that question wrong our hope

is that your vision of what God is doing in the world will flourish and grow along with a renewed sense of confidence in Jesus and his gospel this course aims to help Christians like you and me live out our faith in all of everyday life

reframe is about nothing less than encountering Jesus afresh and allowing his story to transform our story the Bible claims that Jesus is the Lord over all things but is not always clear how this is true in modern life in this

session we're going to ask can the Bible really speak to the complexities and challenges of our lives today I'm going to tell you a story about my great auntie Mary back in the 1980s I got my first pair of contact lenses which at

that point made me an early adopter of this revolutionary technology suddenly I could see this broader frame of vision and it was all in focus without the frames of my glasses in the way so I was very happy some time later I went back

home from University I probably needed to get the washing done or something and my great auntie Mary was there now there's a few things you need to know about auntie Mary she was a rather formidable lady she was born in 1896 so

at that point she was in her 80s and she had decidedly fixed opinions shall we say so when auntie Mary saw me she said where are your glasses I tried to explain to her that I didn't need them I

had these really tiny invisible pieces of plastic that were just on my eyeball what great auntie Mary drew herself back and looked at me and in a stern voice said Dutch tell me lies now life today is complex isn't it the

pace of change seems unbelievable it's hard to keep up with it even harder to make sense of it somehow contemporary life seems to be leaving us behind leaving behind something also of our humanity sophisticated communications technologies are everywhere but

according to the opinion polls most of us feel lonely we have labor-saving devices for everything from making coffee to cleaning our teeth yet who among us feels like we have more free time our economy keeps getting more productive

but we're less and less confident than ever that our health our retirement provisions are sufficient or that our children will inhabit a better world than the one we do for sure the modern world has brought us much that we

wouldn't want to do without but it's also brought the challenge of complexity amidst the postmodern fragmentation of many of the customs institutions and expectations that previous generations could count on increasingly we're left as individuals to figure things out for

ourselves but it's harder and harder to make sense of it all and in the midst of all this were inundated with messages telling us what to do self-help publishing has become a growth industry commercials tell us to invest in the

latest financial product until we see the next ad that tells us we can buy now on credit because you're worth it the institutions of government science are most recently of course finance have followed the church pair it's teachers into the growing throng of

leadership voices that we used to trust but now feel let down by and suspicious of part of the complexity of contemporary life is precisely the confusion the babble of voices offering to help us navigate the surprisingly unpredictable terrain of early 21st

century life there are a whole host of competing stories in our culture about what life is really about how to get on how to make sense of everything how to be happy what does Christian faith have to do

with all of this if we want to take the claims of Jesus Christ seriously this is a question we must answer jesus said he came to save and redeem the whole world and he claims the authority of Lord of

all the world to do this so is Christianity relevant to the whole of my life or does God not really care about all that stuff are we supposed to just ignore it wait for heaven its Dawkins right are we delusional

it's Christianity a made-up fairytale to make us feel better war is Jesus Christ vitally relevant to the world - my job my family life my community my children [Music] we live in a world that compartmentalizes sometimes us division

is spoken of in terms of well there are secular things and then there are sacred things things that really matter to God and then things don't don't really matter to God but simply and sadly a compartmentalized faith a faith that

somehow says well on Sunday I believe these things to be true but when I go to work on Monday it doesn't really make sense of what I do [Music] [Applause] most people today the way they live and the way they they you know what they're

doing nine-to-five their faith doesn't connect with it really it's a kind of practical atheism so it's not an atheism in the sense that yeah you know a defiant a decision not to believe it's just that their faith doesn't connect with with

what they do in the workplace what they do for a living creates this sort of division between who we are at home and who we are in the weekends and who we are at work in the thousands of conversations I had with

people over many years I would say there's one question which is asked in many different ways and it is this is what I believe about God and myself in the world does it really make a sense of the life I longed for the longings I

have love and and life and sex and money and school and learning and politics and business and economics I wanted Jesus it actually can make sense of every square inch of the world of reality [Music] it's crucially important isn't it that

Christianity is actually true not just some kind of comforting story to help us get by we have a deep desire to live authentically with integrity we desire to respond to God's call on us as human beings to be his image bearers in

creation Jesus Christ calls us to be in the world but not of the world to be a blessing to the world by not conforming to it but in the midst of life's complexity pressures and Confused voices it's so easy to fall into one of two

temptations we assimilate we become indistinguishable from everything and everyone around us or we withdraw to avoid assimilation we retreat into a kind of Christian cultural ghetto where we may be distinct but we end up irrelevant indistinguishable or irrelevant in either case how then is

Christ manifest in our lives how do we avoid these two temptations how do we live faithfully in the world so that we're a blessing to it and witnesses of Christ's coming Kingdom were these are some of the questions we're going to be

exploring in this course these questions are not new we're going to listen in together to a conversation that two of the first disciples had just after Jesus had died on the cross now that same day two of them were going

to a village called Emmaus about seven miles from Jerusalem they were talking with each other about everything that had happened as they talked and discussed these things with each other Jesus himself came up and walked along with them but they were kept from

recognizing him he asked them what are you discussing together as you walk along they Stood Still their faces downcast one of them named Cleopas asked him are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who doesn't know the things that have happened in these days more

things he asked about Jesus of Nazareth they replied he was a prophet powerful in word and deed before God and all the people the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and they crucified Him but we had hoped

that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel what's more it's the third day since all this took place in addition some of our women amazed us they went to the tomb early this morning but didn't find his body they came and

told us that they'd seen a vision of angels who said he was alive then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said but they didn't see Jesus he said to them

how foolish you are how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory a beginning with Moses and all the prophets explained to them what was said in all the scriptures

concerning himself as they approached the village to which they were going Jesus continued on as if he were going further but they urged him strongly stay with us for it's nearly evening the day is almost over so he

went in to stay with them when he was at the table with them he took bread gave thanks broke it began to give it to him then their eyes were opened they recognized him disappeared from their sight they asked each other were not our

hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the scriptures to us they got up and returned at once to Jerusalem there they found the eleven and those with them assembled together and saying it's true

the Lord's risen and has appeared to Simon then the two told what had happened on the way how Jesus was recognised by them when he broke the bread so we've got these two characters and they're walking along the road

they're on the way their disciples they've known Jesus they've seen him in the flesh they're Jews they know the scripture inside out they've known it since they were able to remember anything they're steeped in the culture of the

people of God they're also of course living in the context of many competing stories not only the competing stories of Israel the stories of the Pharisees and the Sadducees for example but also the stories of Greek philosophy and

Roman imperial power and those stories are the stories that dominate their world they are in many ways rather like us they're feeling confused the story they thought explained their lives and made sense of it all seems to have

fallen apart the powerful competing stories of Rome the Jewish religious institutions seem to have triumphed they're downcast afraid are deeply disappointed into that context Jesus comes and encounters them they can't recognize Jesus even though he's standing right in front of them

don't we struggle to see Jesus presence in our lives even though we know he's promised to be with us even to the end of the age we don't see how Jesus is connect to the things that dominate our world

Science and Technology healthcare business the problems of war poverty and disease the challenges of family home making sexual identity might our confusion disappointment and fear in the face of modern life stop us from seeing him to now having encountered the

disciples Jesus does something surprising he takes them back through the scripture and helps them to understand it have you ever wondered why did Jesus do that why not just say Here I am booooo rather than simply reveal himself

Jesus explained the story of the Bible to them stories are crucial to human life they help us orient ourselves in the world make sense of it the Atheist turned Catholic moral philosopher alasdair macintyre argues that I can only answer the

question what am I to do if I can answer the prior question of what story or stories do I find myself apart now in saying that we live by stories I'm not talking about bedtime stories or that we

live in a fictional world that we create out of our heads rather I'm talking about the fundamental stories that shape our understanding of the world answer questions about where we come from who we are what the purpose of life is in

this sense stories are claims about the nature of ultimate reality in our day we might think about the story of scientific materialism the story of environmentalism the story of modern capitalism or the story of secular toleration all of these stories claim to tell us

who we are and what life is about and if we believe them we'll live by them in other words stories have consequences the truth is we're surrounded by cultural organizational familial and personal stories and we live by them

because we're immersed in them they don't just shape our thinking but also our emotions our desires much of modern advertising is deliberately designed to shape us by constantly repeating stories of consumerism what we believe about the world shapes not only our thoughts and

desires but also our expectations about what is possible stories change what we can see how are we being shaped today I wonder what stories are we living by stories keep to what matters what moves the heart stories are really I think the

way we understand ourselves in our world they establish meaning for us meaning that cannot just be expressed in theories and statements but what makes life worth living people who studies story and who study human beings realize that life doesn't

make sense until we know the story were in in fact the only way we can make sense of our own life is to tell a story about our life so storytelling is central to our life people today are

wrestling with issues of significance what makes a life worth living what makes a life good we have a lot of understandings in our culture of what makes a life successful or prosperous but I think we've lost sown the

understanding of what makes a life good the disciples on the road to emmaus had lost sight of the true story as a result they were confused and blinded they didn't expect to see Jesus and they couldn't recognize him

so Jesus opened their minds to understand the true story of Scripture it's my conviction that Jesus wants to do the same thing among his people today we need to understand again the story of ultimate reality as God sees it we need

to understand again the grand story of the Bible the majority of the Bible is in the form of stories about people nations and cultures their dealings with one another and with God that the Bible as a whole also forms a large-scale

story it has a beginning in which it answers the questions of who God is what it means to be human why we're here it has an end a vision of where history is going what it will look like in the end

and in between a whole load of books chapters and stories that help us understand how to live and how not to live in between times if we're to see things truthfully not be confused and blinded by the many false competing

stories that are on offer it's crucial that we understand the biblical story and where we are in it the text we've just read deliberately pairs the opening of the scriptures by Jesus with the opening of the disciples eyes to see him as Jesus told the story

they suddenly encountered him in the enacting of the story their eyes were opened they went from not seeing Jesus to seeing him through the retelling and enacting of the story and they responded with passion and excitement that grew as they heard the story being

told again were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road the Bible is one book with the number of writers but one spirit now if you read a novel say a long novel like Moby Dick

you wouldn't think of open the book in the middle and reading two or three sentences isn't saying that's if the story is you've got to get the whole story Jesus comes to us primarily in form of story and which means that youth

you can't abstract propositions or principles or rules out of a story if we had a book of lessons that may seem to be more efficient delivery of information but a story isn't about delivery of information it's not it can

do so much more than just teach you it can transform you people are leaving the church who were adolescent and 20s and because nothing seems relevant to them it's because we haven't told them the story and they haven't been captured by

this amazing story so I know that I'm drawn to this Christian story this Christian vision of reality because I think it actually is reality with a capital R it's really the way to make a sense of life there was a man named

Leslie Newbegin she was a missionary to India for 40 years and one of the friendships he developers of with a hindu scholar and this man said to him at one point i don't know why when christian missionaries brought the bible to india

they said to us as if somehow this was simply one more book to read he says I finally have read your Bible from beginning to end he says I need you to know this is a completely unique book it makes sense of

everything in history from beginning to end we don't catch the big story we don't know what story we're in as Christians that God's story is our story and that way our story becomes God's tour [Music] so however you might be feeling in your

life at this point be encouraged Jesus wants to draw near to open up the scriptures to you to give you understanding of his purposes and presence in the world to reignite your passion for him and to actually dwell

with you and reveal himself to you in your daily life but maybe you're like my great auntie Mary who couldn't believe I was wearing contact lenses you find it hard to believe that a new way of seeing is possible that encountering Jesus

could enlarge your field of vision and bring everything into focus the truth of the story Jesus told was clear to the disciples because it made sense of everything suddenly they understood what the Apostle Paul describes as the mystery of God's will revealed in Christ

and then wonder of wonders the reality of the story was manifest to them CS Lewis puts it like this I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen not only because I see it but because by it

I see everything else and this course is an opportunity to reencounter the truth that Jesus is the starting point for a completely new way of understanding what it means to be a person in the 21st century not just in the private

religious parts of our lives but in all of our lives all of the time we believe that the gospel involves everyone and everything our culture is increasingly fragmented and blinded to what true life is Jesus has come to open our eyes offer us abundant life

the gospel is as true today as it's always been it's the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes so I want to conclude by asking you where is your Emmaus Road what's your context where are you

experiencing a sense of confusion alienation disappointment loss of confidence where do you longed to see God present and acting [Music] every one of us is unique with different gifts experiences skills life stages geographies and contacts but each of us

is on a discipleship journey with each other and with Jesus this is my in massive role this is my Emmaus Road this is my mass Road this is my Emmaus Road this is my Emmaus Road this is my Emmaus Road

the gospel involves everyone and everything reframe is an invitation to travel on Annamayya strode journey over the next nine episodes we're asking Jesus to encounter us and to help us understand the stories of our culture the shape us today and to walk alongside

us as we journey through the whole biblical story and see how our story is part of God's story and finally to see how we can respond in our homes neighborhoods workplaces and cities the disciples on that first Emmaus Road had

their eyes opened to see Jesus afresh their hearts were set on fire and they were filled with confidence and joy join us as we set off together on our own journey of faith seeking that encounter with Jesus that reframes everything

[Music] [Music] you [Music] you