Anne Witton on mission

Sometimes it’s hard to see what the goal of human progress is. As technology develops, we’re doing things quicker and more efficiently than ever before, but at what cost?

We’re bugged by constant reminders and notifications. We have advanced technological systems to keep us in line and ‘on track’ but what’s it all for?

We seem to be advancing technologically at the expense of human contact and community. We've lost the ability to relate to strangers. We can now perform most transactions without actually having to talk to anyone - at the self-checkout, pay at the pump petrol, vending machines, Oyster cards, Internet shopping…

Even in Wetherspoons you don't need to go up to the bar and chat to the bar tender to order your food - you can just do it on an app from your table.

People are being replaced by machines.

Service industries like haircuts are awkward because we're not used to being in close proximity to people we don't know and having to actually talk to them. We are rapidly losing our relational skills.

We’re afraid to look people in the eye. Small talk is awkward, but deep talk is risky. Mental health problems are rocketing.

We’re losing community because human relationships are messy and costly. In our disposable culture we’re not used to committing for the long-term. If a relationship gets difficult, or conflict arises, we walk away. 

The story of the Kingdom is different. It’s about the dignity of human beings being made in the image of God with the capacity to relate and make decisions and feel emotions. It’s about being part of a family of people who are different and yet all uniquely valuable.

It’s about being able to experience the joy and awe and wonder of being in God’s presence and seeing his transforming power at work in our lives and communities.

It’s about creativity and joy. It’s about being able to say sorry and forgive others. It’s about persevering in love. It’s about knowing and being known.

It’s about caring for the poor, the outcast, the lonely. It’s about tending creation with loving and responsible stewardship and looking after all God’s creatures. It’s about living life to the full with Jesus and looking forward to the time when the world will be recreated and cleansed of its pollution.

That’s the story that I want to invite my friends to be part of.