This past week, I was able to spend three days with a pastoral colleague in preparing for next year's worship themes and sermons. This has become an annual ritual and we have held these retreats in four different locations. This year, we went to a beautiful cottage by Lake Erie.
Each day, as we studied the lectionary scriptures and thought through planning needs for next year's worship services, we had a beautiful view of Lake Erie. Fishing boats, sail boats, and speed boats dotted the waters during our planning time.
My friend and I thought about how those different boats are symbolic of our spiritual journey. Sometimes, Christ calls us to follow him at what feels like blazing speed and other times, we are called to sit, be quiet, and reflect on what it means to be one of his disciples. Based on our personality types and the present spiritual season we are experiencing, we are probably inclined toward one of these types of boats. All of these boats bring out different dimensions of our faith. Hopefully, during 2013, the worship services and sermons will help us experience the variety of speeds that are necessary in being a vibrant and faithful church.
During the sermon planning retreat, I felt like I was in a couple of different boats. Our goal was to prayerfully discern which scriptures and sermon themes to use for fifty-two Sundays. In this sense, I felt like I was on a speed boat. But there were also times during the retreat, where we slowed down to pray, receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, and be still to listen to God's voice.
If we would have chosen only one type of spiritual boat for our sermon planning retreat we might have ended up with fifty-two shallow sermon ideas or we might have come home with five inspiring Sunday sermon themes, well short of our year long goal. The point is that we need different types of boats as we live out our faith in Christ.
As we draw closer to the start of school and a busier than usual church schedule, I have a feeling that there's a speed boat waiting for me. Thankfully, there will also be a sailboat nearby for a change of pace.
Happy Sailing!
No comments:
Post a Comment