EXPLORING TOGETHER WHAT IT MEANS TO EXPERIENCE GOD
We want to experience God in ways that are authentic to us.
We come together and experiment with worship both old and new.
We seek to experience moments of meaning in the ordinary.
Over the past few months we have been looking at our BFX foundations. There are four altogether and this week we are looking at Gather : Worship Together. The words at the top of this post go alongside this word as a brief explanation of what it means and what it is about. I am going to try and avoid the word worship throughout the rest of this as it often comes with baggage and for many people that can get in the way. At some point you may want to take a look at the website and check the Gather tab and the work of the people stored there.
For me the important words in this are gather, explore/experiment, experience, authentic and ordinary. I will briefly describe why and then we can get stuck into questions.
Gather – It is about people coming together. Maybe to a particular place or at a particular time. In person or online. To gather together with others is how we build community and connection.
Explore/experiment – Slightly different words but with similar meanings. When you explore you are going into the unknown. There is no map, or if there is the thing you are looking for isn’t marked on it. The same goes for experiment. You are testing something, trying something out you haven’t done before. Both of these have the possibility of success of finding what you are looking for or discovering something new. They both also have the possibility of not finding that which was sought or the experiment not quite working. Yet you have still experienced the process.
Experience – What you feel, see, taste, smell, think, hear and sense. These things happen all the time but sometimes taking the time to acknowledge these opens us up to something much bigger than ourselves.
Authentic – What we do has to be true to who we are. The words we use need to have meaning. The actions or signs we perform have to be relevant. There are ancient ways of doing things and there are new ways. It is about finding those ways that are honest and reflect those gathered instead of those inherited by others.
Ordinary – It isn’t about always chasing the mountain top experience. We can always try and replicate that moment when we experienced something amazing, but it often disappoints. Seeking to experience something of God when we are walking the dog or on the metro to work or sat watching TV. In those moments we can be surprised by what we find.
Questions
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What was the last gathering you went to with over 50 people present?
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Which word in the first bit struck you? Why?
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What makes a gathering authentic for you?
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Have you ever experienced God in a place you didn’t expect? Where/when was it?
Has been a part of BeachcomberFX since his arrival in the North East in 2014. He is well travelled (at least in the UK) having lived in Manchester, Nottingham, Derbyshire, Southport, Doncaster, Berwick and Edinburgh. Supporter of Newcastle United, will watch any sport.
