If this is a meeting, let's have more of them

Sometimes people moan about meetings. "We have too many meetings".

I think it's a sad sign of love grown cold.

Can you imagine a passionate lover saying, "Do I have to spend more time with her?"

But I suppose what people mean (to give them the benefit of the doubt) is that they don't want to just go through the motions. They want something meaningful. Something living.

It's Agape tonight, our covenant meal, when the most committed members of the church household get together, share, worship, eat a meal including the communion bread and cup.

It's not "a meeting", if by that phrase you mean some formal going through religious motions (heaven forbid).

It's a meal with my best friends. It's a joining of strength with my comrades. We've sworn to live and die together. It's a rare gathering. It's joining with Jesus and His disciples at His last supper, the first communion.

It's a total privalege to be invited and humbles me time after time.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25)

A pencil chewer

Theological question for anyone who is up for the challenge:

What is the significance of the fact that the human race began in a garden and finishes up in a city?

(See Genesis and Revelation...)

Pix

Check out the pictures of our last household day out on Tschaka's blog!

Let loose

Sunday morning was... interesting. We’ve been experiencing a fresh release of the Holy Spirit’s presence recently. People have been much more conscious of Him – there’s been some crying and laughing in our worship times as people open up to Him. Much less “going through the motions”. Some have fallen to the ground, or shaken and trembled when others have prayed for them.

This Sunday, as soon as the band struck up the first worship song, I was weeping. Don’t know why. Something to do with loving God. It was freeing and – cleansing. I began to shake a little. God was there.

The sister next to me, a close friend from my community house asked me to pray with her, so I wept over her for a bit. She started to cry as well and then to sigh and to rock and then to shout out. God was there.

Other people were also being prayed for around the hall, and the worship was continuing.

Meanwhile, some kind of fracas was kicking off at the back of the room. Two brothers were fighting. Then the brother leading the meeting shouted very sternly at a load of people who were hanging around in the foyer, “Come in here, in the name of Jesus!” (He’d already asked them to come in a coupe of times.) This was uncharacteristic of this much-loved brother – and very necessary in the circumstances. Some people were being distracted from what God was doing – as another brother pointed out, addressing the whole congregation as we shared the bread and the cup afterwards.

All heaven was let loose – well, some of heaven. And a little bit of hell. God was on the move, and one or two less wholesome spirits were shaken out of hiding. It’s real. This is not religious routine. This is a revival of sorts, and we need it.

But – we’re British! (Actually, thankfully, this is not true of all of us.) We’re not given to public displays of emotion; much less to falling and shaking and other such exhibitions of insobriety.

God is loosening us up. Shaking us out. Reminding Him that He is the “God of the living and not the dead”.

Oh dear...

...this is a bit self-indulgant really. But I thought it was quite fun too.

Something more spiritual next time, honest. In the mean time:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

A little dilemma

I wondered whether to write this entry because it’s a bit sensitive. I decided to, in the end, because otherwise this blog about life in Christian community could become lopsided, focusing on happy-lovely-positive things and avoiding anything more difficult. There’s plenty of that kind of censorship in Christian bookstores...

(I also decided to go for it because I think I’ve got a fighting chance of keeping this all nice and anonymous – so for those dear readers who think they can work out who I’m talking about – you’ve probably already got it wrong.)

A few days ago, I had cross words with someone. I felt they were out of order in something and I let them know: gave them a flea in their ear. It was something and nothing really – and not the kind of thing I do very often, unlike some of my more confrontational friends (oh, how I envy them at times) – though I do think it mattered.

Problem is, I now know that that person is still sore towards me. In fact, barely speaking to me, as I discovered this morning... I offered a small olive branch – offered to talk it though with them sometime. But it was received stonily.

It all leaves me wondering what to do. It pains me to be at odds with someone, especially a fellow-Christian. But I know that I can’t simply conclude that I should never be “real” with anyone or correct them (believe me, I’m temperamentally inclined to go down this route!)

Jesus spoke of “leaving your gift at the altar when you remember your brother had something against you” (in other words dropping everything to get it sorted). What ought I to do? In this case, to be perfectly frank, the person concerned is really just having a good old sulk. But I do want reconciliation.

Should I apologise, even though I’m quite sure I was not in the wrong and also aware that a leader must lead?

Should I put it out of my mind (after all it’s their problem)?

Should I just pray for them?

Am I too nice? Too harsh? Too bothered?

What do you think?

Interesting Years

Interesting Year 1981:

1. Prince Charles got married

2. Liverpool crowned football Champions of Europe

3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament

4. Pope died

Interesting Year 2005:

1. Prince Charles got married

2. Liverpool crowned football Champions of Europe

3. Australia lost the Ashes tournament

4. Pope died

Lesson Learned:

The next time Charles gets married... someone better warn the Pope