Theoretically, gathering begins at ten a.m.. Due to culture and personality, people trickle in between ten minutes early and twenty minutes late. Right now, it's 8:45 and we, the, um, hosts, are VERY busy.
We are experimenting with the main course of the meal. We bought a cheap--CHEAP-- charcoal grill at Big Lots and are attempting to prepare about 8 lbs of chicken, hamburger and hot dogs on it to be eaten later as the main course of the meal and it's not going perfectly well.
Paul says not to be anxious about anything and I'm not succeeding at his admonition by the book, though this, on the edge experimentation, is right up Evie's alley.
I'm just taking a moment to journal this now for future reference.
I love the hosting of gathering. Especially with Evie. A big part of her package of Spiritual Gifts is an incredible mix of service and mercy and she does this sort of thing, in the Spirit, as easily as she breathes. It's a blessing to participate in her gifting.
It's strikes me that one major difference between our gatherings and a worship service is that what we do is less about the Lord and more about the disciple's life of righteousness in relationship with the Lord. And, that is what I see in Jeremiah's prophecy of the New Covenant and also what I see lived out in the New Testament.
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What an unexpected day.
The food was wonderful, well worth the expense and effort. The bread and cup were profoundly edifying, to me at least.
The gathering was edifying in a way that only a meeting of people living intimately in community over a period of time can be.
One of the families has recently had a large amount of money stolen from their home and they are very certain they know that the person who stole the money is someone who is very close to them and is someone whom they have trusted in the past.
They are heartbroken, less by the loss of all that money than by the act of betrayal.
Evelyn and I knew about this before today and during the gathering I offered our friends an opportunity to speak with the brothers and sisters about how they feel and the spiritual struggles they are dealing with as they work this through and dealing with the need to forgive and to show mercy and to love the person who has harmed them.
And, they opened up. Nearly the whole gathering focused on them, culminating in a lengthy and passionate time of prayer for them.
As I often note, central to our purpose is the effort to spur each other on to love and good works.
We achieved that today.
Have you ever thought about how Jeremiah's description of the differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant should impact what happens when we gather?
ReplyDeleteWe have.
It strikes me that Shepherd Mafia, parish priest focused worship aligns with the Old Covenant and is inappropriate to life in the Spirit in the New. Hence, we focus on promoting righteous living.