Vision for Reconstruction

The ax is already at the root of the trees… Luke 3:9

John the Baptist is laying out reality for the crowds that have come seeking guidance and blessing from him. John doesn’t mince his words (he just called them a ‘brood of vipers’ after all). He’s not telling them that what they’ve always believed in might be dismantled. He’s tell them that their religion WILL BE dismantled.

We often use the word ‘deconstruction’ around City Church. It’s just another way of naming the journey of dismantling whatever spiritual/moral/religious system you inherited - whether from a church, a family, or the culture at large. We’ve all learned systems of right and wrong, of thinking about God and beauty and life, of practicing behaviors that should make us better people. And those systems are not all bad - not at all. But they all need some editing. That’s what John the Baptist is saying - your system needs some editing (and, he adds, “and as it turns out, the Editor-in-Chief is here to move that process into high gear!!!”).

The below image from church today captures that journey from the inherited beliefs of childhood, through the dismantling that comes when our system of belief no longer works, and then the rebuilding of a healthier way of believing.

Where are you on this journey? Are there places where it might be helpful to have an ax chop out some rigid or unhealthy roots?