Why Church?

Recently, upon reading through Henry Nouwen's great book "Making All Things New", it was reinforced to me just how critical the idea of "gathering together" is to developing a spiritual life.  In fact, his claim is that it is the combination of the disciplines of solitude and community that makes space for the Spirit of God to work in and through the lives of Jesus followers.  Our culture seems to think that it has the idea of solitude down, if by solitude you mean that there is no need to join together as a "church" in order to really follow Jesus.  As our group has wandered through the discipline of solitude and understood the tremendous difficulty in trying to pry that into our oversaturated lives, I have begun to see the idea of disciplining ourselves for community to be at least as much or possibly even more daunting a task. 
Don't believe me? ... Try establishing a new gathering of people who are already following Jesus during a Seattle Summer and you'll understand a bit more of what I'm referring to.  Here's the thing that we're hitting up against, and by "we" I mean the universal "we" of the Western world version of the Christian faith .... we've not gone about this idea of gathering together as a spiritual discipline.  We've not seen it as ultimately strengthening our movement forward along a path that leads ever closer to Christ.  We see it more as a task, an option, an "if nothing better comes along" event.  Within that framework, just about anything that comes along can be seen as "better"
I will offer that I believe a decent amount of this mentality arrived as a consumer culture collided with the lost mission of too many churches.  Right about the time that it became more about being "right" than offering good news to those who really needed to hear some, people who had consistently gathered began to become inconsistent and then cease altogether.  
We've lost our way ... and this could be seen as totally tragic, except that losing ones way implies that there was once a way that was considered "the way" ... and we could once again be heading that way.   I will insert some pastoral honesty here ... for most of my 20+ years leading churches I would have attributed the inconsistency of my people in their gathering together as their own personal spiritual lacking.  In recent years, with some painful self awareness and evaluation, I have come to the conclusion that I, and others like me, need to own a decent amount of this lacking.  I, as a leader of a gathering of Jesus followers, at this point in the history of the church, have to believe that a decent piece of this just may come from my failure to excite people about the real mission that God has invited us to which can only be accomplished through the gathering known as the church.  We can be on mission with the God of all creativity, and yet we are infected with infighting about how creativity can be expressed.  We can be on mission with the God who owns everything, and yet we sit wringing our hands lamenting how little resources we have.  Is there a wonder that, even among those already trying to follow Jesus that there are always "better" things going on?
We, as these gatherings, have been tasked as well as enabled, to turn our piece of the world, our cities and all of our represented neighborhoods, upside down.   Instead of cowering in the corner of comfort until we have "figured it out", we could run into the wake of the God who has already been there and be filled with the awe and wonder that the Old Testament prophets were able to experience and we have resigned ourselves to merely reading about.  What could be "better" than that?

Does it matter

Yesterday we had the privilege of "Doing Good" along side a local non-profit that we have chosen to partner with.  The group is called "Free Food For All" and literally, their name says it all.  I will tell you considerably more about them along the course of our journey, but for now I will leave you with the simple truth that they are one of the most unassuming, unseen, and yet remarkable groups that I have encountered in over 20 years of pastoral artistry ... and they are right here, in our neighborhood.  Unseen yet literally immeasurable in their care of innumerable people (especially school children) in need in the city of Seattle.
As we prepared lunches for city school children and other food for a neighborhood food bank, I was struck by the enormity of their influence and the passion.  They do so much with so little while operating far out of the mainstream and spotlight.  They struggle, as do so many other groups, connecting people to the idea of "doing good".  In 20 years of leading established churches, and for these past 8 months leading a new church, I know the struggle too well.  In fact, if I could offer a moment of honesty and vulnerability, I would say that there is nothing as crushing to me as apathy to the cause of "doing good" especially when it comes to doing it in the name of Jesus.  If anything would cause me to quit this life and go do something else, it would be an inability to inspire, lead, and help engage people in caring enough about the living out of their own faith proclamation that the natural outflow would be to give a rip about the world that they've been called to live into.  
Last week we began a discussion about spiritual disciplines ... beginning with solitude.  We will continue to learn about and live into these.  They may be tough to master, but oh so worth it.  This week I was reminded that there is a discipline to "doing good".   There is an illusion about the "social consciousness" of Seattle... that we are all out for a cause ... that volunteering is our second language.  Sadly, and it may not be a popular opinion, but I fear it is just that ... its a language.  It's a great deal more talking than walking.  The bright side of this, for the church, especially a new one, is that we could, with discipline, rise far above the crowd and demonstrate once and for all the truth of Jesus 2nd response to the question of "the greatest commandment" ... loving your neighbor as yourself.  It's our message to own and live ... but it is going to take discipline.  It is going to have to be a priority. 
Last night, I looked long and hard at the reality of a relatively small, in numbers, presence.  I witnessed the passion of a group flying somewhat under the radar.  I considered that great cause that we were partnered in, and I asked myself "does it matter"?  Then I watched as a 3 1/2 year old enthusiastically packed lunches for over and hour to be given to hungry children while she repeatedly exclaimed how much they would "just love the yummy fruit".... and I knew that yes, it does in fact matter a great deal.

The good news of discipline

In recent years I seem to have found myself surrounded by people who feel compelled to run.  Nearly every week, if one wanted to, one could sign up to run in a 5K, 10K, half marathon, marathons, Iron Man, Iron Women, Iron Infant, or (insert your group here) type of run.  Occasionally I will secretly want to just sign up and run.  A certain breeze, the temperature, even the feel of my faux running shoes being laced up can burst upon my senses and all of a sudden my legs feel like they were 18 again. I would just know that I was missing out on something wonderful.   Then my brain kicks in and kicks my senses around a bit and asks "what's the matter with you?".  "There's been no training, no build up, no discipline to your body that would even get you through the first city block, what's the matter with you?".
  I used to view various spiritual "disciplines" as those practices mastered by a select few saints throughout the ages who happened to hold abnormally close relationships to God.  I told myself this as an excuse to avoid the futility of pursuing these at all costs.  To be perfectly honest, my evangelical influences didn't do a great deal to discourage this thought process.  Faith, after all, was to be excercised, which, in the Western world, means go, go, go.  As I got older, like so many others of my kind, I began to feel like I was missing out.  There must be something more to this life.  And I would look longingly at these giants of the faith and want to just jump in and "be spiritual"...you know, all Nike "just do it" like.  Soon after, within a spiritual "city block" I'd give up, frustrated and convinced even more that these relationships were not for mere mortals like me.  In all of this I felt deep in my heart that I was missing something ... and I am beginning to understand that I was right.  But it wasn't what I thought.  It was hidden right in front of me.  It's actually contained in the phrase "Spiritual Disciplines".  Did you catch it?  Discipline.  It implies there will be work involved ... training, practice, growth, strengthening, stamina building work.
In our current call to build community and relationships in a city that lives and breathe the go, go, going of "successful and fulfilled" lives, I can't believe that good news for them is the additional go, go, going that we frequently connect to a church community.  That only leads to exhaustion of the worst kind...exhaustion of the soul.  This week our group begins the journey of exploring various spiritual practices and the discipline to develop them and move towards a refreshing, life giving, and life giving away faith in Christ that truly is good news to people on the treadmill.  Let me repeat that it's a journey ... It's not a class, a workshop, a sermon ... It's a journey.  This week we begin by exploring the practice and discipline of solitude.  Watch this page for exercises, reminders and best practices as we journey together.

Do Over

In my opinion, from personal experience, the greatest news of that which we know to be the "Good News" of Jesus is that we all, every one of us, gets what we in common language know as "do overs".  The good news of Jesus is that we get a new opportunity for a reconnected relationship with God, beyond our own meager efforts.  We have, despite our failed attempts and brokenness, the ability to get back up and walk again with the savior who stoops down to lift us from our falls.  The beauty of the church is that we find our falls not to be such lonely and isolated incidents as our adversary would have us believe.  We find common ground from which to stand and we find others to cheer us on as we dust ourselves off and continue on our journey.  If you missed our Common Table gathering this past Sunday, you didn't miss "church".  You missed dinner together where we sat together, laughed together, reflected together and identified with stories different, yet not so different from our own.  You missed learning together, smaller groups within a larger whole, who didn't simply "listen" to a passage from the bible but entered in to the passage sharing stories, journey's, and reflections on the timelessness of God's word for those who seek to follow.  You missed our discovery of the difference between a prescribed "this is how you do church" method and what the bible identified as a descriptive "this is how faith is reflected" expression of people who have joined in God's mission.  You missed the realization and reaffirmation that "church" was not a Sunday, one day, expression of a love for Jesus and people.  It is an organic, ever present and fluid movement of God's people, any day and every way.  You missed the resulting call and response to action. 
You may have missed this past week, but the good news is that you, like the rest of us, have a "do ever" -  another chance to join us around the "Common Table" of Jesus and our desire to love him and love like him in the context of the city. 

See you Sunday? or Friday or any other day for that matter.

It's time for Lent

The season of Lent is upon us.  It's traditionally a season of remembrance and observation of the 40 days that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public ministry.  By nature it is a time that demands a measure of discipline.  It is a time when a good practice of various spiritual disciplines, like scripture reading, prayer and fasting may take place.  It is made that much more difficult in the frantic pace that most of live in.  That also makes it that much more rewarding when we get to dig in to the practices that serve to draw us closer to Christ. 
To help facilitate your own observation and offer you a time of peace and direction, this blog will offer a number of references that we hope you will take advantage of.  They are gleaned from a great many sources and although those sources are public, the originators of them will be acknowledged when possible. 

Enjoy the season ... soak it in....let these resources guide you.  The first ones are for the entire season of Lent ... a Bible reading plan through the Gospels in 40 days as well as a guided prayer source.

• The Bible plan is courtesy of Grace Avenue United Methodist Church in Frisco, TX
• The prayer guide is compliments of the Irish Jesuits

moving ahead ... the party continues

So the party this past Sunday was a great "launch" to the work of planting a new church community here in South Lake Union.  It was a great collection of friends, both old and new from here in the neighborhood and throughout Seattle.  The food was excellent and plentiful, like any good party should have.  The conversations were connecting and hopefully, a vision for the future was planted in the hearts of those who were there.  So, as I'm particularly fond of asking after coming to a point like this, now what?  Where do we go?  How do we move forward?  Just what, exactly is the next step?
I'm glad you asked ... it is simply this, connection.  Common Table is a relational expression of the church, upward towards God, inwards towards each other, and then outwards to our community and beyond.  In order for relationships to work, grow, thrive, and be expressed, they need to be connected.
The opportunities are many and varied...below are listed the beginnings of them:

• Tuesday evening  Study group at the Jacobs in Stack House apts, 2 Tuesdays each month beginning March 4th ... email Dan for details
• Saturday March 8th ... bowling party @ West Seattle Bowl ... rsvp here
• Sunday March 23rd "Launch party #2" at the lounge at Stack House apts 5pm ... bring someone who hasn't been
• April 13th  Dinner and worship 5pm ... watch for details
• April 20th ... Easter lunch BBQ in the park ... watch for details
• May 17th ... Lake Union Sweep neighborhood service event 8am-1pm

Anyone and everyone is welcome ... lets stay connected

Now it's a party

We are having a party!!!  In 1 week and a day, Sunday February 23rd we will hit the ground running here in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle, by literally throwing a party.  We felt it only fitting that, since Jesus uses some party imagery when it comes to the kingdom, we should present the gathering of people seeking to follow him as a party.  Let's be honest, that's about as far from stereotype as we can get.  Not long after the guest of honor left for a better party 2000 + years ago! people of our faith and following have, by and large, lost the ability to feel comfortable at parties, let alone throw them.  We would like to invoke the right to "do over" as given by Jesus himself and begin this presence centered around the value of a good party.  There will be food ... Of course ... And something even better, a chance to connect with other party goers.  Of course since it will be the first gathering of this sort for us, we will also point people towards future parties, worship gatherings, and opportunities to connect in the city and grow the party larger.  Everyone is welcome ... It's being held in a great place to hold a party, the lounge at Stackhouse apartments, from 5 until 6:30 or whenever people decide to wander off.  You are invited ... Bring a friend ... Bring two... Sunday February 23rd, the party starts.