Someone in my Lenten group noted that if we are going to speak to other people about God, then bringing up the Trinity is probably a confusing thing to do. I agree! Perhaps I should have noted that the Trinitarian foundation for our connectedness is not the topic of conversation when sharing our faith, but it is provides the theological basis for us to understand the call to be connected.
I thought the author's story about the long-time member who knew she would be supported if she shared with others in the church, but never had shared spoke to the heart of this chapter. In other words, how do we create places where we can share and grow in meaningful ways. I could identify a few groups in our congregation where that happens, but there are many of us who do not have such a group. That is the exclusive domain of the church, of course, but creating that space ought to be one of our goals.
I also thought the point that we can enter into the connectedness from any of the three areas offered insight into how a church like ours (that focuses on mission) can see how that emphasis can also open to the door to deeper connections in other ways.
"Connected" Ephesians 4 Unbinding Your Heart Lenten series, 2011; March 27, 2011
Introduction: Unbinding Your Heart – this week's focus on connectedness
Move 1: Connectedness grows out of our understanding of God.
a. God is a Trinitarian God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which means by definition God is a God of connectedness.
- To be made in the image of God means to be made to be in relationship with others.
- To try and “be more like God” as our final hymn this morning suggests we do [“change my heart”} means, in part, to be connected with others.3. Not new to us -- when Jesus was asked about the greatest commandment, he shared a truth that had been part of the Israelite tradition: first, love God; then love neighbor. Not one without the other. Both. Connected.
b. The author describes our connected in three ways.
- relationship with God;
- relationship with those in the church community;
- relationship with those in the world around us.c. When we grow in one area of connection, it makes us connect to others.1. Not enough to just be connected with God.2. Prayer journal – as you pray, you find yourself being sent to connect with others.3. Connected with others might drive you back to God in prayer.4. Not new to us – Jesus answered a question about it in his time; and his answer grew out of the Israelite understanding of the great commandment – love God and love neighbor. Connected. One leads to the other.
d. Important point – growth can begin in any of the areas.
1. Mission – Breakfast Club.
2. lead to prayer for the people and for guidance.
3. Volunteer with other people in our community of faith.
4. Connect with others and develop ongoing relationships.
d. Excitement in how you are growing leads to sharing with others.
Move 2: Connectedness is Real and life-giving
a. Author provides a vision of church where “church merges with real life”
1. Escape to church. Escape from our lives.
2. literally a sanctuary.
3. Do not dismiss that role.
4. But the power of church when it connects with our real lives.
5. Not just a place to forget, but a place to interpret and grow.
6. Bar vs. Church – Reformation; typically conversation is about how the church ought to be more like a bar. But, typically a bar is just a place to tell your story; therapeutic; but the church offers a place to interpret the story and be changed.
b. Story of longtime member who went every week.
- I knew that if I ever had any problems, I could turn to others to support me.
- Did you?
- No, but I knew I could have.
4. Good story – but author pushes us by asking the question – with whom do you share your challenges and struggles?
c. Prayer group/mail group/email group
- I have been part of a group since 1988. We have experienced lots of things with each other: New calls; bad calls; death from ovarian cancer of one of our group; parent's death; kids dating people you are not happy with (that's not me yet!); retirement.
2. Maintained itself for over 20 years because it has provided real and life-changing connections.
Move 3: Church as a place to be connected, not as an institution to maintain.
a. Listen to the conversations at most any church coffee hour, and a fair amount of them – especially during this traditional stewardship season – revolve around how to keep our beloved institution going. The conversations are well intentioned and even necessary, to a point, and we can end up creating a place where it can feel as though you don’t want everyone to know your name because they will assign you to a committee. Don't Eat Alone, blog by Milton Cunningham-Brasher, Monday, 11/10/10, donteatalone.blogspot.com
1. We know those conversations.
2. More conversations about what is happening in our lives.
b. high school youth group.
1. Retreat in the dark.
2. We would turn out the lights and anything could be said and anything that was said was confidential and never mentioned once the lights came on.
c. where do you go to say the things that can only be said in the dark?
1. Lenten prayer groups
2. Choir?
3. Church school class.
We as a church need to grow into our role as a place where people can gather in groups to share.
Conclusion:. Nevada Barr, Seeking Enlightenment Hat by Hat (191): Why church? “Because when Jesus said, ‘Wherever two or more gather in my name, I am there’ He wasn’t whistling Dixie. The mountain is for finding and adoring God in the wilderness. Church is for finding and adoring God in community: with others, through others, because of others, in spite of others..... Without community, how would I share. Who would I help? How would I learn to accept help? Would I learn to serve others without others to serve? And could I know how if I wasn’t taught? To what would I, a human being, belong to if not to a group of human beings?”
We worship a God of connectedness and hear the call to be connected.
No comments:
Post a Comment