Missio Dei

As a church, we want members and attenders to cultivate the practice of paying deep attention to how God has been and continues to form us. Why? Why pay attention to our lives especially with some of the pains that we have gone through. Why? Because it is critical for each individual's health and the health of of the whole... the Body of Christ.

I remember when Laura and I went through pre-marital counseling with our two dear friends, Curt and Pam Bush out at Inspiration Hills. We understood that it was just one of those things that engaged couples go through to be able to get married, but what we didn't fully understand was that it was an important time of becoming honest with each other, to bring out into the open things that had remained quietly tucked way and covered with dust. As we made cinnamon rolls in the Bush kitchen, we told stories. At first the stories were very comfortable, you know, the kind you have in a church narthex after church. We talked about what we have been doing since we had last seen each other, why we wanted to get married to each other, how God has gifted us, hopes for the future. It was a lot of fun... and safe. 

Curt and Pam were wiser and Laura and me... they knew from their own personal experience that safety wasn't really safety at all. To have a rich and full and growing marriage, we needed to look carefully at and talk openly about our stories, even those parts of our stories that were filled with shame, confusion, anger, mistrust, and unresolved questions.

You see, they realized that before we enter into a covenant together as husband and wife, we needed to make sense of where we've come from, where we currently were at and where we will be going together. To not do that would be superficial and honestly... stuck. This was not the kind of marriage or life that Jesus had for us. Jesus came to give us something far more rich and extravagent; "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." (John 10:10)

Two Sundays ago, those who are investigating what Covenant Membership looks like at Missio Dei Church were told that they are going to be asked to share their Story with their table group. When I first made this announcement I could see fear. Eyes started darting about the room, blood pressure started to rise, and faces went pale. Each individual wrestled with the fact that their story was no longer just theirs to be held, but it was also going to be shared with the family. A million questions buzzed through the group's mind: Who are they? How will they handle my story? Can I trust them? How much should I really share? What is the purpose of this?

Then came the next round of questions: Who am I? How am I handling my story? What is going on in my life? How is God restoring the broken areas? Do I trust God to do His restorative work in my life through the community that He has placed me in? 

On Sunday I led by example by sharing my Gospel Story that had been handwritten by God. I shared how God has been working in and through me in my 39 years of life. I shared my deepest pains and shames, joys and triumphs with the flock that I am called to shepherd. I shared how the Gospel has and is changing my life still today.

The ball now was in their court. I heard tears and laughter. I heard voices that expressed anger at God and frustration with humanity. I heard words of encouragement and heart felt prayers for one another. It was definitely not an easy night, but the vast majority of the people that I talked to said "Thank you." It was an opportunity to share what God was up to by paying attention to our lives. It was a chance to allow the Body of Christ to minister to one another in beautiful, redemptive ways. I trust that God will continue to move in tender, yet powerful ways within our community of faith because paying attention to His Gospel Story

If you are to turn your heart toward God you must first of all return to your own heart from which you are so often absent. - Sister Oxenham