Tender...

Today was a very tender time of worship ~ exactly what we all needed ~ but very different from  what I expected.  I guess I had anticipated a LIVELY time of worship with bold and rockin' music and challenging preaching... but everything took on a quiet and meditative tone.  And before you knew it, my message, too, was cut way back from my original notes to focus on "abiding/resting/living" in the Spirit of Jesus.  Funny what can happen when we get out of the way of the Spirit and let our hearts speak the truth of Christ in the moment.  Apparently, it was just what the soul doctor ordered.

Later on, I thought of how Peterson once put it:

The puzzle is why so many people live so badly. Not so wickedly, but so insanely. Not so cruelly, but so stupidly. There is little to admire and less to imitate in the people who are prominent in our culture. We have celebrities, but not saints. Famous entertainers amuse a nation of bored insomniacs. Infamous criminals act out the aggressions of timid conformists. Petulant and spoiled athletes play games vicariously for lazy and apathetic spectators. People, aimless and bored, amuse themselves with trivia and trash. Neither the adventure of goodness nor the pursuit of righteousness gets headlines...

Today we considered the alternative that Jesus offers us in worship... and it nourished our souls.  It felt like this Ray Lamontagne song...

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."