Have you ever had time when you couldn't sleep? Last night (tonight) I went to bed early and woke up in the middle of the night. I guess I'm used to getting six or seven hours sleep and going. Either way, I thought I would share some thoughts from the last few days.
I had a creative planning meeting with folks at church on Sunday afternoon to try to think through our services and make them more interesting, impactful, you get the idea. I am preaching this Sunday on the rich younger ruler and how he sought out Jesus because he was still thirsty in his life for God. We talked about thirst. We talked about wanting more out of life. I brought up to this group of folks who have attended church most of their life, that many people I talk to who have been in church a lot are thirsty. Many church folks are thirsty for more than committee / church religion. THey want encounters with the supernatural. They want more than just church meetings, church conversations; they want more. It was amazing to see all the head nodding going around room.
Why is it that good church people are thirsty for more? In some ways I think we have tamed faith down so much that all it means is go to church, go to sunday School, serve on Committees. I remember what George Hunter said about this last year in the Beeson Program. He said, "That kind of Christianity can't and won't change the world."
Last night, I met with a group of people who I invited to join me in trying to discern if we should launch another worship service. We talked about when, who, what kind of service, etc. It was a good conversation, lots of debate, no consensus but some definite directions. One of the things we would have to do to launch a service is to get a core group of people involved in this and excited about it.
I think sometimes the longer we are in church or in life, the less excited we are about new things. I remember a conversation I had with a chruch member about 3 months ago who said when she first came to The Connection (our contemporary service), she was so excited about it. SHe actually told her friends to come and tried to get them to come. God was so working in her life. Last Sunday I met a lady who came to church for the first time who was so pumped about this worship experience. It was something she had been looking for. I had a conversation with a man last Sunday before church who said he had grown up in church and got "out of the habit" and him and his wife realized they need something more in their life and are beginning to reconnect back. The point is that when God is working in your life and you are experiencing a sense of the transcendent, you do not need to have the best advertising to get people to come. People will invite others because what is going on.
As a pastor, my challenge is to experience and be led by the transcendent myself. Too often pastors are busy running the show. While it is challenging, I want to be fully engaged in worship not just leading it.
I must say last Sunday was impacting for me. I finished my sermon series on James by preaching from James 5:13-18 on healing. Healing has always been a difficult for me. I know God heals, I just don't see it as often as I would like. Anyway, we had communion and I prayed for people during communion for concerns they were carrying. About 10 people came for prayer. Some were praying for others, some personal. A few had several tears. It was touching and deeply meaningful to me that people were really crying out for God to intervene in their lives. I felt like God had shown up powerfully. God was present. I remember what my preaching Professor Tory Baucum said about Sundays. He said mostly what people want is that experience that God is real. They need hope that God is working in the world and in their lives. I have seen lately how God is working and I really need eyes and ears to see where he is leading going forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment