What is to prevent us?

The title is borrowed language from last Sunday, when an 'outsider' asked one of Jesus' disciples, 'what is to prevent me from being baptized?' As it turned out, there were all sorts of potential-human-obstacles that the Holy Spirit had swirled right past.

I want to keep the conversation going for this community about moving into a future that we cannot yet see. But friends, moving forward in Holy confidence, knowing that the Spirit is absolutely up to something and inviting us to participate in the Divine dance.

What a journey we have been on, reimagining how to do nearly every thing that we do. Shopping. School. Work. Medical visits. Gathering. Worship. Of course, that means all sorts of new opportunities; it also means all sorts of energy ~ energy to imagine and dream and wonder and live in the ambiguity of it all.

Quite some time ago, the leadership at Immanuel made intentional choices that this place would be a permission-giving-community. What that sounds like is a lot of 'yes'es:

What about having a regular SACA Sunday? Yes!

Small groups? Yes!

Sharing the kitchen? Yes!

An after school program in the building? Yes!

Community use of the gym? Yes!

Latino Mission Work? Yes!

Recently I read a book by the odd title of 'Weird Church'. The final chapters were a collection, not so much of 'weird' church communities but 'alternative' ways to be the church. For instance:

What about worship or study opportunities that happen outside of the building?

How about worship plus dinner?

What if it only lasts a brief season?

Can it be just a few folks and still be church?

Those various examples have the potential to translate into giving permission to prayerfully trying new ideas, stepping into new expressions of a faith-filled community following the Holy Spirit, in order to be the church for the sake of a hope-hungry and thirsty world.

I do now know what the church will look like in ten years or five or even a year from now. But I am convicted that we:

1. Must watch for God {Father/Son/Spirit} at work and figure out how/where we are being invited to follow and

2. Collaboration with each other, our neighbors and our community will be core to living out our work as Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Trials. Opportunities. Long, short. Large, small. Faithful church.

What is to prevent us?

Pastor Leah