Fall - Rhythms - Atmospheres

Hello Church -

The fall weather sneaking its way back in reminds me of the way the seasons transition and invite us to follow along - the lower, slanted light in the evenings reminds me to rest earlier, the garden reminds me to trim back the too-long growth and prune branches exactly where I want to see new growth later, and our family rhythms are settling into anticipating school, work, friends, rest, and fun all in its own time. Rhythms are natural, and contain memory - they invite us toward change, growth, and accepting how in each season there is new purpose, new calling, new opportunity, and new work.

Last week, we completed one cycle through our Sunday morning worship rhythms - Banquet, Belong, Serve, and Sabbath. I feel so grateful looking back over this season of beginning new rhythms together. I have the privilege of seeing and hearing from many of you how God is moving - in each service, the Holy Spirit has been showing us new things, and calling together new people, and asking us to consider new questions:

• Banquet Sunday reminded me to ask who is not at the table, who is hosting and welcoming others to the table, and who is God asking me to invite to join us.

• Belong Sunday reminded me to ask who belongs in church, who do I want to take special care to help re-fit in our community, and how do we get to share authentic, real life with one another.

• Serve Sunday reminded me to ask who is our community, what is our neighborhood and our turf in this season, and who are our systems designed to serve well.

• Sabbath Sunday reminded me to ask what do I need rest from, how do I pace my rest and enjoy the everyday, and how do I live into the truth that I am free to trust God to be God.

What questions did you notice bubbling up this month? What stood out to you from these rhythms? Thank you to everyone who shared thoughts, affirmations, questions, worries, and places of seeing God move throughout this season. I have treasured those places that God has shown up tangibly and spoken, and healed, and moved. For all those places where you or I may be waiting on God, or not sure yet, or still filled with questions, I remind myself that in God we can "love the questions themselves," as the poet Rilke says. We can rest in the not knowing. We can remind ourselves God is still, always, and forever, more than enough. We can trust that as we continue to practice abundance, belonging, generosity, community, justice, faith, trust, and prayer that God will keep moving, growing, cultivating, pruning, and planting in us and for us. Each of these worship rhythms invites us into a different type of atmosphere, a different slant on the same light and life of worship. The form isn't the point, but the questions, the life, the growth, and change, perhaps, is.

This fall season, let's keep listening together for what God is growing and inviting us toward. I love hearing from you, LaSalle - whether it’s your ideas, places you want to get involved, concerns or excitement you are sharing, prayers you're praying, or maybe people you want to reach out to. Let's keep growing. Let's keep trusting God's generosity. Let's be on the lookout for what to prune, what to plant, what to water, what to wait on - knowing that all of us are needed for this growth to take root!

With deep thanks in the abundance of God, Who does more than we could ask or imagine, according to the power at work within us.

- RevLiz