JR. Forasteros - August 31, 2014
Circles > Rows
Though we think of Church primarily as a Sunday, large-group worship experience, we find in the Scriptures that we need to engage in small groups of Jesus-followers. Why? Because large group experiences are largely passive. But true spiritual growth happens when we serve those around us. This is why small group experiences foster a deeper, more profound dimension of growth. In the Church, circles are better than rows.
From Series: "Branches"
No matter how much we enjoy the weekend worship experience, sooner or later, we stop growing. That's because we need more than great music and an engaging message. We need to connect with other people who are on the same journey as us. Learning we're not alone as we try to follow Jesus changes everything, and that's what Branches is all about. In a Branches group, you'll find people who've been where you are, who know the joys and pains of building relationships, work and figuring out your calling, raising a family, leaving a lasting legacy. They're people you can join with in figuring out exactly how the new life Jesus offers us changes our whole world. If that sounds too good to be true, it's not. Becoming part of a small group is the single best way to pursue a thriving, life-changing relationship with God. This is Branches. And big things happen in small groups.
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No one likes to miss out on something they’re entitled to. One time my mom and step-dad were running late for their flight – have you ever been there? You got out the door late, you hit some traffic, and by the time you get to the terminal, you’re running, running, running. They get their tickets, get through security and get to their gate. My parents hadn’t had a chance to grab breakfast, but they figured they’d just grab some food in the terminal. Except they were flying out of Kansas City, and the terminals there are small – they weren’t set up to have room for food.
So, super stressed and hungry, the sit down in that sort of grumpy state that comes with travelling stress. My mom is a bold person – her favorite phrase growing up (other than STOP fighting with your siblings!) was “Always give them an opportunity to tell you ‘No’.” So as she and my stepdad sat there in the uncomfortable terminal chairs, stomachs growling, she decided to ask the Captain’s Club Lounge for some food.
You know those exclusive lounges most airlines maintain – you have to be an elite member or flying first class to go inside. (For the record, I’ve never been in one, so I assume it’s full of unicorn steaks and endless Dr. Pepper). My mom walked up to the attendant and asked if she could slip in and grab a couple of granola bars. The man asked to see her ticket, and when she showed him, he made a weird face and then told her to help herself to whatever she wanted.
She thanked him, grabbed those granola bars and returned to those uncomfortable seats, their stomachs at least tamed.
It wasn’t until they actually boarded the plane that that found out they had been upgraded to first class when they checked in. Whether the ticketing agent didn’t tell them or they missed it in their harried rush, they didn’t know. The whole time they were sitting in those uncomfortable terminal chairs, stomachs growling, they could have been enjoying the luxuries of the Captain’s Club Lounge.
They missed out on what they were entitled to because they didn’t know.
Friends, on this first Sunday of the New Year, I want to talk with you about what we are given as part of God’s church. Because too often, we settle for far less than the full gift of God in our lives. Today is going to be about baptism and the Holy Spirit but most of all it’s about God and God’s love for us. It’s about the reality that too often we live in Spiritual Coach when God has upgraded us all to First Class, with all the rights and privileges that go with it.
