Do you love a remixer?

In Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism, author, Amanda Montell, describes the rise of a demographic group called “Remixers”. The above quote gives you a description.

 Do you know a “Remixer”? Maybe it’s a friend or relative who has decided against “organized religion” but still participates a variety of religious practices. Jesus, in Matthew 13, told a parable about a sower who threw seeds for planting. Some fell on rocky ground, some on the path, some in a weedy area, and some in fertile ground. 

Jesus explains the parable. And he says this: “The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away." (Matthew 13:20-21). 

A lot of remixers I know are really into the spiritual power of rocks. No problem with that. But a bespoke spiritual practice may not be robust enough to hold someone through seasons of suffering and sorrow. As Jesus puts it, they might, "quickly fall away."

Our role as the church is to welcome the spiritual seekers in our world by sharing the hope we have in Christ, our Good Shepherd. It's not about forcing others to conform with our expectations, it's about sharing the bread we've found with others who are hungry.

As you spend time with the remixers in your life, prayerfully discern how to  “root” with them in the grace, love and joy of a relationship with God, their Higher Power.  Remixers may use a name for God that we're not used to.  The name that matters most is love - and love is found most perfectly in Jesus. So, whether the people we connect with need a remix, reboot, or re-up, let’s share the joy we know – through the door of organized religion, yes, but more importantly in our relationship to the person of Jesus Christ.

-- Pastor Rebecca