Label-less Factor
Last Sunday, I preached a sermon for the first time in our new church.
I'm usually a story teller. This time my assignment was to preach.
I felt so ill-prepared.
What do I believe?
It was a moment of renewed spiritual reflection as I'm still trying to answer the first question. "about the nature of our faith?"
I feel I don't fit into any known category right now.
I am free floating - I think I am label - less.
Wow - that is a new feeling.
Sermons demand a kind of systematic theology - my theology is being de-systematized.
The Bible doesn't change, God doesn't change, and my faith doesn't change.
But there is something about the Upper Room that will forever define us.
We are on a new trajectory.
What was so special about the Upper room?
Why was it life-changing?
I will try to analyze it.
It was characterized by a waiting for something new, a coming away, a humbleness and openness to having our fundamental values changed. That takes courage - I was so worried.
It was in a group of like-minded. "Where two or three are gathered in my name...."
It was Holy Spirit focused; we wanted the tongue of fire.
It was private and safe - no judgement. We weren't out to prove something.
There was no sense of a power-play. We had a leader - a wild prophetess. We had chosen her, she hadn't chosen us.
We were together but separate. There were no controls.
It was open to any kind of expression of the experience - even hysterical laughter.
There was preparation - we had spent the day seeking words of encouragement and came to the room with little recordings of these prophecies. We came with everything we were.
We came with a good foundation of teachings. We weren't rebelling. All of our experiences were building blocks to this moment. Even though we were on an adventure, we would not violate our foundation of truth. We were discerning.
We were in a prayerful attitude.
We wanted something more. We were ready to experiment.
We positioned ourselves.
We closed the curtains.
Last Sunday I dared to preach from this new place.
I preached about that star-studded sky - that awe-filled moment - that has now morphed into an Upper Room awe-filled moment.
This time I'm not only in awe of the stars - I'm in awe of awe, I'm in awe of my life....
It was like coming a home coming.
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” - Corrie Ten Boom
My sermon: https://www.maplecrestchurch.ca/
.
I'm usually a story teller. This time my assignment was to preach.
I felt so ill-prepared.
What do I believe?
It was a moment of renewed spiritual reflection as I'm still trying to answer the first question. "about the nature of our faith?"
I feel I don't fit into any known category right now.
I am free floating - I think I am label - less.
Wow - that is a new feeling.
Sermons demand a kind of systematic theology - my theology is being de-systematized.
The Bible doesn't change, God doesn't change, and my faith doesn't change.
But there is something about the Upper Room that will forever define us.
We are on a new trajectory.
What was so special about the Upper room?
Why was it life-changing?
I will try to analyze it.
It was characterized by a waiting for something new, a coming away, a humbleness and openness to having our fundamental values changed. That takes courage - I was so worried.
It was in a group of like-minded. "Where two or three are gathered in my name...."
It was Holy Spirit focused; we wanted the tongue of fire.
It was private and safe - no judgement. We weren't out to prove something.
There was no sense of a power-play. We had a leader - a wild prophetess. We had chosen her, she hadn't chosen us.
We were together but separate. There were no controls.
It was open to any kind of expression of the experience - even hysterical laughter.
There was preparation - we had spent the day seeking words of encouragement and came to the room with little recordings of these prophecies. We came with everything we were.
We came with a good foundation of teachings. We weren't rebelling. All of our experiences were building blocks to this moment. Even though we were on an adventure, we would not violate our foundation of truth. We were discerning.
We were in a prayerful attitude.
We wanted something more. We were ready to experiment.
We positioned ourselves.
We closed the curtains.
Last Sunday I dared to preach from this new place.
I preached about that star-studded sky - that awe-filled moment - that has now morphed into an Upper Room awe-filled moment.
This time I'm not only in awe of the stars - I'm in awe of awe, I'm in awe of my life....
It was like coming a home coming.
“Never be afraid to trust an unknown future to a known God.” - Corrie Ten Boom
My sermon: https://www.maplecrestchurch.ca/
.
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