It's the culture we swim in!

As I write this the rain tumbles down in Cottesloe, "Thankyou God for the life and refreshment!" Jesus' phrase, "I am the living water", makes so much sense in a desert - and in Perth we really do live in a desert - perhaps spiritually as much as physically.  When a long dry spell is broken by cascading water it evokes hope and rejuvination.Following my talk on Sunday I've had numerous conversations with people about "the water we swim in" in our cultural setting.Someone, recently returned from oversea,s declared that on returning to Perth from another culture they find a window of a couple of days in which they can see the cultural forces of home clearly before they reintegrate.Someone else spoke about the cultural differences they notice when away; even just in the capital cities of the eastern states.I was speaking to the mayor this week. He was lamenting the challenges he faces in trying to keep Cottesloe the quiet, laid back, beachcombing backwater he would like to see it remain. I didn't know that was the water he swam in ?We used to swim in a Christian culture. The water we now swim in is post Christian. We can't appeal in our city any longer to God's standards. We used to rule the fish tank but no longer. Now the water is of a different type and wringing our hands won't change that.On Sunday I had a few people express their displeasure at sex being talked about so openly in church, so did Nick the week before. But I also had a few more people tell me about their experiences with pornography, the expectations on them sexually in the world they inhabit and in one case a younger person say, "Ive been to church here twice and if you're willing to talk openly about sex (ie. things that matter to me day to day) I'll be coming back".Funny the water we swim in and how we manage it. In a post Christian culture; a culture very much like the Corinthian one we have been wrestling with, the challenge is to live a life so infused by the love and sacrifice of Jesus that they mirrored him in that Christless world. It isn't piety or rule keeping that defines that truly Christian lifestyle - so what is it we are called to be?Now rather than me answer that, why don't you have a chat about it over morning tea?Regards in Jesus AdventureMalcolm