WE GATHER
Missio, tomorrow morning we will come together as one large Missional Community. each week we gather disciples and friends from all across the East Valley for our weekly equipping gathering. You’ve spent the week loving, serving, and waging war against idolatry and in many cases evil. You’ve sinned and been sinned against. You’ve celebrated but there’s also been disappointments, a few disasters, and even some disillusionment creeping in. I know it. I’ve been there. So as you set the alarm for the morning on a day when many sleep in, let’s give a quick refresher on what we are doing when #wegather. Not because you’ve never heard it, but because we often forget. (No, Sunday’s aren’t the main thing we do as a church, but they are integral to our discipleship process as a community being formed by God, together, for the sake of others.)
When we gather we worship JEsus.
Worshipping Jesus as one large missional community reveals the heart of our Christian calling in our fragmented world. We experience unity our Savior and diversity in our contexts and giftings. Jesus is Lord and we give him our allegiance. God (Father, Son, and Spirit) is worthy of praise, allegiance, and our only hope in life and death. In our weekly gatherings we discover sacred (and often ancient) rhythms of grace. We find our source of strength. We find an essential re-orientation back to the gospel of the kingdom.
WHEN WE GATHER WE ARE EQUIPPED FOR God’s MISSION.
As we gather to worship, we immerse ourselves in the story of God's redemptive love and mission through Jesus. This shared encounter with God gives shape and purpose to our mission as a church. We understand that our faith is not a private affair but a public proclamation of a life-transforming message.
WHEN WE GATHER WE EXPERIENCE GOD’S POWER IN COMMUNITY.
In the act of gathered worship, we don't only seek silent solace; we seek and find empowerment. Shared witness, worship, and work is often the wellspring from which we draw courage to engage the world with Christ's love. Shared worship shapes some our identity as a missional community, grounding us again in the gospel's profound truth that compels us to bear witness to our neighbors and networks of friends.
after we gather we go back out.
Most of the life of our church is lived out in diverse neighborhoods and networks of friends. Our worship and work is not confined to sanctuaries but extends into the streets, workplaces, and neighborhoods we go back into. We don’t spend most of our time in holy huddles around the city. In fact our Missio Communities and our homes are often the beacon (think lighthouse) that beckons those searching for meaning and hope to draw near. It’s the everyday rhythms and invitations that offer others a journey towards discovering the richness of life in Christ and on mission. Your home will most often be the first taste of Christian community people experience, but that beacon is lit and stays fueled with both private moments with God AND the shared worship we engage in as a Missio Community. We can’t forsake one for the other. Both are integral.
Our prayer is that you encounter God’s presence, encourage each other in the gospel, and are equipped to take up your role in God’s story. And that each of those things are used by the Spirit of the living God to solidify your calling to Jesus and your sentness with Jesus. May the gospel story we participate in as we gather form us together as the body of Christ sent throughout the East Valley. - Kevin Platt-
Three Ways to Prepare for Gathering Together
Try Starting your Sabbath the night before. If you can, plan your night before the Sunday gathering in such a way that you enter your Sunday rested and not stressed. Get some sleep. Eat some breakfast. Enjoy your favorite morning drink. A little prep goes a long way!
Pray. It may seem simple, but pray on your way in. If you’ve got kids, let them join you in the process. Ask Jesus not just to teach you, but to form you, give you a person you can serve or encourage, and let him know how you feel coming into this gathering. Prayer is spiritual warfare and you are entering contested space!
Plan to Park before 10am. What do I mean? The liturgy formally starts at 10am, but the gathering starts before that. When you show up and are parking at 10am you are sure to miss the first part of the liturgy, which is a welcome, a reminder of God’s creative power, and leaves you rushing to find a seat and unable to be as thoughtful as you may want to be on where in the room you are. Also, people visiting for the first time are ALWAYS there before 10. If you aren’t there to greet them and invite them into rhythms of kingdom life- who else will?