I've been there before. Elijah on the mountaintop. "I alone am convinced of the merits of congregational Sabbath!"
This is a very loose translation and more anecdotal than analytical, but it may feel a bit scary when you begin to become convinced of the merits of ecclesiastical stopping. You might feel all alone. You might see jaws dropping and eyes popping when you mention the very idea that anything at all in the church could possibly cease for a season without eternal consequences for the Kingdom of God. Don't be surprised. Just be ready. Here are some ideas to get the conversation rolling:
1. Organize: Band together with like-minded individuals...those in your circle who you know will at least hear you out. Consider meeting for at least three months but no longer than a year and talk about what God has laid on your heart/s. At the end of your time together, the goal is to have these individuals go out and inform others about congregational Sabbath.
2. Retreat: Before you ever engage in the battle over deeply entrenched ministry, retreat. I suggest four retreats over the course of a year for the whole church. Remember, the idea here is to get people talking and let the Spirit be your guide.
A. "Come follow me." (Matthew 4:19) We are used to asking Jesus to keep up with us, to bless the work of our hands and not guide the work of our hands. We need to let the Shepherd lead His sheep. So, in the first meeting we ask, "Where? Where do we see Jesus leading our neighborhood? Where do we see Jesus leading our city? Where do we see Jesus leading our culture? Where do we see Jesus leading our world? Finally, where do we see Jesus leading our church? Is there anything keeping us from following our Shepherd?"
B) "Mary has chosen the better part." (Luke 10:42) In the second meeting, we ask, "What? What is essential to where Jesus is leading the church? What is non-essential? Is there anything in our church that is more important to us than following God? Music? Building? Church Program? Is there anything we can let go of for a season?"
C) "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:30) The third meeting we ask, "How? How do we give up those things that are non-essential like the Easter Egg hunt and committee meetings? (anything other than worship-related activity) How do we change the essential things like choir/worship team practice and the mission trip during Sabbath? How long is our Sabbath?"
D) "Do not forsake the gathering together as is the habit of some, but encourage one another." (Hebrews 10:25) The fourth meeting is to follow up on how things went after congregational Sabbath has taken place. Here, we ask, "Who? Who did God reveal Himself to be? Who did God reveal me to be? Who did God reveal our church to be? What does our church look like going forward?"
3. Challenge: Challenge the congregation to take a sabbatical of their own from church work, mowing the lawn, or dusting the house. Then, ask, "Did those things got done? If so, how? What did you do instead?" Get people excited.
4. Inform: Write about the Biblical command of personal and congregational Sabbath in the newsletter, on the website, and in sermon series. Get people talking.
5. Invite: There are several churches in the country that have experienced congregational Sabbath. (See "Where Can I Find More Information About Congregational Sabbath?") Invite them to come and share their experience. You are not alone!
6. Celebrate: God is doing a new thing. Maybe you have had an experience with congregational Sabbath you would like to share. Let us know!
Congregational Sabbath: Less doing. More being
No comments:
Post a Comment