As we gear up for our upcoming MOMENTUM 2012 Organic Church Conference on March 30 & 31st, here's a series of practical posts about what you can learn from the mistakes others (like me) have made in the past.
Break Your Liturgy
Early on in our house church experience we took the opportunity to embrace the boundless freedom of being the church together with our friends. Sometimes we would just eat together and share testimonies, other times we would plan to sit together outside on our patio and create a giant work of art on a shower curtain to express our passion for Jesus.
However, over time, we slowly settled into a more familiar groove that has now become our liturgy. We meet for a meal. We talk and eat. We eventually gather around and sing worship songs together. Then we have our open share time. We discuss the scriptures together. We pray for one another. We share communion. We dismiss. This is our liturgy.
My suggestion is that you do all that you can to upset the apple cart as often as possible in order to remind yourselves that you are free in Christ Jesus. You can meet anywhere – under a tree in the park, in a coffee shop, around the swimming pool, at the beach. You can do anything together – pray for an hour, sing spontaneously, create artwork, let the children lead the meeting, sit quietly and listen to the Holy Spirit, play games together, take turns sharing your testimony, invite an outside teacher to lead you through a book of the Bible, or wash one another’s feet.
Whatever you do, the point is to escape the rut and to embrace the spontaneity of being church together. God always does something amazing whenever we put ourselves in a position where none of us really knows exactly what might happen next. That’s where we’re outside our comfort zones and the unexpected moment can catch us by surprise.
Some of the most memorable and powerfully profound gatherings we’ve ever had have been because we took one of these detours outside our liturgy.
One of the most wonderful things about meeting in your home and sharing life with your friends and family in Christ is that there’s no “right way” or “wrong way” to be the Church together. All of your times together are sacred because Christ is in each of you and discovering Jesus in one another is actually more likely when you’re not going through the familiar motions and rhythms of liturgy.
Step outside your comfort zone. Take a path less travelled and rediscover the thrill and joy of exploring your identity as the Body of Christ off the beaten path. You’ll be glad you did!
Keith Giles is the author of This Is My Body: Ekklesia as God Intended which is available in print or as a free ebook download at http://www.WeAreTheTemple.com.
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