Someone
said something simple but important to me in the hallway recently.
They said they were looking forward to a
new year. It made me think about the calendar. A change in
the year does not necessarily mean a change in us. If we are
truly looking forward to a great new year, what can we do?
The answer is deceptively simple: practice Jesus. The heart of
our Christian experience is encountering the living presence of
Christ. When we encounter Jesus, he changes us. Our hurts are
healed, the blind can see, the lowly are lifted up, and the lofty
high are brought back down to where they can breathe again. Those
who feel dead inside discover a new life.
Practicing Jesus--becoming more open to the living presence of
Christ--is the heart of Christian spirituality. But let's be
candid--there are a lot of books and speakers whose notions of
"spirituality" are just junk-food for the soul.
What is a simple, direct, authentic spiritual practice that
can help us? Since the beginning of our faith, the most helpful
spiritual practice is worship. Every week worship. It shapes the
heart, the mind, and the spirit. Weekly worship shapes the church
community. Some weeks, through the worshiping community, God will
change you. Other weeks, in worship, God will change someone else
through you. Either way, you need to be there to experience it.
God listed weekly worship in the 10 Commandments not because God
needs it, but as a gift for us. So when the world steers us into
some sort of deadly rut, worship lifts us up, and puts us on a new
path. As we journey together in worship, we discover that we are not
alone. We are together with the Jesus people, and we can count on
them. In their midst, we discover the Spirit of Jesus journeying
with us. And together, Jesus will take us to a place filled with
wonder. Jesus takes us someplace new.
To make this new year truly new, make worship a spiritual
priority. Set a goal of being in worship--wherever you are-- very
week. See the difference.
Happy New Year!
Andrew McDonald
Senior Pastor
