Gathering to Grow

It is probably not difficult for people to see the church as a gathering. We gather at pot lucks, we gather for worship, we gather at funerals, and in our case even at estate sales. At any one of these gatherings an outsider could easily recognize what’s happening – “that’s the church, and they are gathering.” What becomes difficult is imagining what would make that same outsider change the tune – “that’s the church gathering, and I need to find a way to get connected.” I believe that if there is anything “universal” (catholic) about the body of Christ, it is the common desires to have people see the church as a gathering that they would like to join. To that end, I believe that we need to have purpose to our gatherings that is both compelling and meaningful.

Sometimes the purpose of gathering is unstated; and when that is the case, we become subject to passive declarations of purpose that could even contradict our own beliefs. People who don’t belong to faith communities often have a reason; probably a good one. Do these sound familiar?  A church convinced me that I was unworthy. A church wanted me to believe that joining is the only way to avoid eternal damnation. A church demanded that their understanding of God’s rules was absolute and obedience was going to be a measuring stick for my faithfulness. A church wanted me to deny my scientific understanding of nature. A church told me that women should submit to their husbands. A church told me that I was an abomination. If these things weren’t said or done to me directly, maybe I know someone that says one of these was their experience. In any case, we need to admit that these brushes have been used to paint a picture of the church in America. When our purpose for gathering is left to the imagination, this is what people are likely to imagine. Do we really want to leave our purpose to the imagination; can we afford to?

What if this communication were taking place out loud? The church would gather. Then the onlookers would vocalize their feelings, exposing the injuries and cynicisms that we all know exist. And the closest member could claim with confidence, “no, that is not who we are. Many of us have felt the same way in the past. This community stands out. We are a gathering of church, and our purpose for gathering adds depth and meaning to our lives, richness to our relationships, and strengthens the community at large. Here is how…” Wouldn’t that be nice? My uncle Clarence used to say, “If its and buts were candy and nuts, every day would be Christmas.” The fact is, for us, implied communication is guaranteed to be miscommunication. Our purposes need to be declared out loud and publically or they will certainly be either missed or replaced.

This week I will share our first purpose, the one that adds depth and meaning to our lives and richness to our relationships. Here it is. We gather together to grow as disciples of Christ. I used bold letters and immediately realized that making the letters bold does nothing for making the statement clear; so, I want to spend a little time unpacking this purpose.

Our society does not have a consistent image of what a disciple of Christ is and maybe some of us could use “precision of language” (to follow the rules in the popular movie “The Giver”).  I see disciples as the people that Jesus picked, and at the same time Jesus does not use his picking to underline exclusivity. Jesus picks illiterate fisherman like Peter, scholars like Judas, religious traitors like Matthew the tax collector as well as zealots. Jesus picks women of wealth like Joanna and women who were cast out like Mary from Magdala. If anything, I think that the picking that Jesus demonstrates is a sign that all walks of life are picked and are invited to discipleship.

After opening the door, Jesus helps us see what discipleship could mean for us. Disciples intentionally spent time with Jesus and it made a difference.  Disciples didn’t always know how to understand Jesus messages or even find it easy to grasp the big picture(parables); but they were given to moments of clarity(who do YOU say that I am?). They were able to see God do amazing things in a world that suffered (healing, feeding, and resurrecting). They felt close to the messiah (feet washed). They began to trust that God was going to have a huge impact in the world. They were given the gift of being used as a tool of God’s power in real living communities (sending of the 70). To me, this all spells out relationship.

Can you see it? The relationship that a “disciple” had with Jesus added depth and meaning to their lives, and richness to their relationships. Discipleship did not create perfect behavior or absolute clarity. It did create closeness where people felt free to ask questions and would often receive special instruction. It did create a community of disciples that felt like they would gain strength by being together – that felt camaraderie.

Gathering to grow as disciples of Christ can be one of our explicit purposes. Maybe you think it already is. Have you moved toward this purpose lately? I will be forming groups that intentionally travel toward this purpose together. We will be gathering and openly declaring a heart of humility – not considering whether our gathering is “worth it” (because we are getting something good), but embracing how our gathering is “worth it” (because we are learning about the good we have to give). Our Gatherings will take us on paths of discovery – discovering our church, discovering our gifts, discovering our membership vows, discovering faith formation, discovering the bible, and discovering leadership. When we gather we will have engaging discussion. We will have moments of excitement when our group lurches forward in relationship with Jesus.

Gathering to grow is not restricted to the paths or even the gathering groups. As long time disciples many of us realize that getting to discipleship is only a beginning; growing in discipleship is a lifelong journey. We are committed to creating a mentoring network as well. You know people that have tremendous gifts – visiting the sick, deep spiritual practice, organization, leadership, social action, volunteerism, playfulness, adventure, musical gifts, artistic, etc.. I know that there is someone in this church that amazes you. What if you could gather a few times a year and shop for a mentor and become a mentor? Wouldn’t it be great to have a practice of making a spiritual friend that shares their gifts with you? When we pick a spiritual friend and when we are picked as a spiritual friend, the potential for growth is amazing. Growth is not limited to the new. Growth is for all of us.

We are the gathering ……. our purpose makes gathering all the more important

Enjoy God,

pg