During our reflection, we'll be invited to think about what it means to be "Evolve" in our community. We'll do this in the light of our Evolve core values, vision, and mission, and the Twelve Principles of Creation Spirituality. 

 

In preparation, I invite our companions to reflect on how these three things have personally transformed themselves, how they see the world, or the world around them. We live so often with a "lukewarm" interaction with our world, one in which we feel we are constantly mitigating ourselves and the world. However, our Christian roots point us to a reconcilia- tion of the world with God. Reconciliation is not a word to be used lightly, as if it were the result of a negotiation in which everyone gets something, but not everyone got what they were seeking. Reconciliation is, rather, a transformational shift in how the world can work. The reconciliation of God to the world in what we call Christ - and we are the Body of Christ, making it real in the world right now - reveals that we should not be interested in transaction or technocratic, "adaptive," change, but rather engaging in transformational change. 

 

The Twelve Principles of Creation Spirituality work to reveal this transformational perspective. The Universe, and all within it, is fundamentally a blessing. The world is a gift, not an obstacle to be subjugated, but to be celebrated in awe and wonder (Via Positiva). Evolve's ministry, in my thinking, is nothing short of changing the world. So - how do we do that? How do we crack through the glazed-over emotions of people who have given up on any sort of religion, but want to be in love with God, the universe, and one another again? How do we become citizens of the world again, rather than individuals with preferences and power? 

 

Let's start with ourselves. We came to Evolve somehow. Something broke through, and woke us up to beauty and truth once more, and re-created us "as little children" (Matthew 18:3) with regards to a perspective of joy and delight in our work, worship, gathering, and meditation. So - what was that? 

 

Perhaps, if we better understand those experiences, we as a community of companions can begin to renew the energy that will reach to others who could be in love with life once more. We can understand how our community can be part of that joy again, renewing our community in a life-transforming (Via Transformativa) way.