Galilee

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He (Jesus) departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed. Mark 1:35
My second day in Israel I stayed on the shores of the sea of Galilee. After a long flight and jet lag catching up to me, I awoke early in the morning around 4:30. It was still dark out and not a sound to be heard. While sitting in the silence I peered out my window in prayer and contemplation. It wasn’t long until I witnessed the cracks of sunlight hitting the sky and the sun breaking over the mountain ridge directly across the lake in front of me. As I enjoyed the beauty of God’s creation before me, I couldn’t help but remember this was the place Jesus, went out early to pray, and this is what He too would have seen.

The Sabbath

What does your Sabbath look like? What do you think the Sabbath is? Is it any day we choose to be our day of rest? Is it the one day set aside by God at the beginning that He rested on? Interestingly enough, the Sabbath, was the only day that was actually named. The other names came later-check out who/what they are named after for some interesting reading.

But back in the "day", the days were different. A day started at sundown and ended at the next sundown. So. . .the Sabbath starts on Friday at sundown and ends on Saturday at sundown. But what, exactly, do we do with that whole day? What is a day of rest? Is it a day to do what I deem restful? Is it a day that is devoted to spending time with God? Is it both? There are hundreds of rules that tell us what not to do. But let's get back to the basics again-isn't it about our hearts? God wants our hearts. The practices mean nothing if our hearts are not right. And. . .as stated in "The Law and Grace" by Todd Bennett, "The Torah was never considered to be a burden by the Yisra'elites; rather it was thought to be a special gift, a treasure, to a people who were chosen to live set apart lives."

When did we deem all rules bad? We forget that sometimes they are put in place to protect us, to help us focus on what's important, and to prevent us from making mistakes. Is that how we feel about the Torah (the first 5 books of the Bible)? I think we've all thought that at one time or another. But this week I've wondered. . .what would it look like if I looked at the Torah as a treasure? I think my outlook and attitude might begin to change.

The Journey

The last several months we have really dug deep into the Law and have begun to look at some of what a Jewish person would learn growing up and how they would live their life. I think that the majority of The Gathering Community would admit that this has brought up some questions and has caused many to dive into the Word searching for answers-myself included. That something as simple as discussing what a Jew's daily life would look like forces us into the Word is amazing to me. Have you noticed? Conversations have changed. Many of what used to be normal conversations have changed into ones centered on Jesus. Do we follow the Law? Do we not? What about pork and shellfish? And all the offerings? What the heck do we do with those? Do we really make a 'booth' outside during Sukkot and sleep in it and have a party for 7 days?

Then we have Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur-did you practice them? To truly set aside time for self-examination, confession and repentance, and prayer and fasting is something I think we would all say is beneficial. So why haven't we been doing it? Is it because we didn't know? Because it's difficult? Lack of understanding?

Last Sunday Adrianne talked about her journey-especially about how she has been learning about the festivals and Jewish culture for the last 10 years-and admitting, still, that she doesn't understand it all or have it all together. If nothing else, these past months of study have caused many of us to seek God in a way like never before. Maybe, just maybe there is something to it.

(Note: This is meant to be more of a continual thought process and discussion starter. We are all in a journey seeking truth-let's share our journey together, whether you are in the very beginning with more questions than answers or a little bit further along-quite possibly still with more questions than answers :) Feel free to share a thought. Let's grow together.)

Little Gs and Big Gs

The Gathering name was chosen for its multipurpose use-that anytime someone is with someone else, it can be a "gathering". Yesterday Aaron talked about the Sunday service, which we deem the "Big G" and Community Groups during the week, which we call the "Little g's". Both seem vital to a person's life. Both serve different purposes as well as some overlap between the two. If you go outside of the two groupings, there are still many gatherings to be had that are essential to life, but let's focus on the two from Sunday.

Is your life changed by G, g, or both? I love the G, but my heart is for the g. By nature an introvert, if I'm not connecting in a smaller gathering, then you can bet that my life is off track and that God is probably not being glorified by my life exactly the way He should be. And to be honest, the g for me isn't too formal. The g happens over dinner or coffee or a late night chat or on a drive somewhere. But though it's informal, it's intentional. It's me digging down deep to share what is hard and what I'd rather just keep to myself. And whatever that something is, it's not something I always feel led to share at the G. It's the g's that keep me going in the long run-where i find encouragement and share life. The big G is where i realize i'm a part of something that is so much bigger and where I have the opportunity to share my life and connect with others in that bigger setting. It's a chance for me to be taught, to sing, to catch up with friends I missed during the week or to meet someone new.

what's the g or G mean to you? what does community look like in your life?

Communion

Communion-individually or as a group? Cracker and juice or an entire meal? Taken on Sundays or during the week? As we study and struggle through picking apart what is traditional and what is biblical, we find that maybe what we have known isn't really scriptural-or maybe it has been. Is there one model that is right? Does it really matter?

I hope that you have been challenged on this quest for truth in practices as we have been. Aaron brought some good information from what he has studied and how the truth is being fleshed out into practice.

It's the thought of remembering God's faithfulness. It's looking back and seeing what He has done since the beginning and seeing how that effects today. It's a joyous meal celebrated among believers when they look back and see His faithfulness and how He has been working.

Your thoughts?

Work Day at The Gathering Place

August 22nd found volunteers both from our Gathering community and the community at large at The Gathering Place. With the permit in hand for only a few weeks, work days are happening frequently to further the progress on the building. Here are some pictures from the day. Thanks for all who came out to help!

Czech Trip a Success!

August 11-23 found Emma Taffaro and Abbey across the Atlantic to the Czech Republic. They spent a week at "Sport Camp '09", a sports and English camp for students ages 9-16. The camp was even better than last year and fruit was definitely seen from the '08 camp, both in growth in the student's faith and in their command of the English language. Here are some pictures so you can see a little of the camp! Another trip will be planned for Summer 2010, so look for more details in the Spring!