Scattered and Gathered: life after Babylon
Are you looking forward to the restrictions imposed because of COVID-19 being lifted? Many people anticipate the day that live worship services return and gathering together becomes easier. But many websites are warning that after the coronavirus passes, there will be no “return to normal.” Life for us has changed forever. What will a sermon or lesson look like?
Thom Rainer has long been considered an expert in the field of church growth. Thom focuses his attention upon what is necessary for the health of the church. He raises an interesting concept in a recent blog post on his website. What are the implications for a church with an attendance of 125 that has a digital service with 500 views? Who are these people? How many are local? How do we connect with them?
It is a question the church handled poorly for ages. How do we serve the people who cannot come to the building? What happens when an elderly member of the congregation ends up in the hospital or a nursing home for an extended period of time? In the past service teams of elders, pastors or deacons would take a small communion kit on a “hospital call,” spend 10 minutes with the person and leave. They might be contacted each week, or once a month, or …. Those who are ill don’t go anywhere, they are still on the membership roster, but are we really ministering to them?
What about the college student? The young adult runs to a campus miles away from home and becomes a part of a community unconcerned about the church at best, but most likely antagonistic toward her. We wonder why so many college students wander?
a new understanding of scattered
The predicament has made me think. Is there a better way to connect with people who can’t go to church – either forced or self-imposed. Can we serve them, challenge them to growth, and follow up so they don’t stray? Isn’t that the teaching of Jesus about leaving the 99 sheep for the one?
The five lessons I am developing are called “Scattered and Gathered: life after Babylon.” Lesson One begins right now – while we are still in Babylon, while we are still in exile. You can study at the level you choose. If you just read the web page, you will gain some knowledge about the nation of Israel taken to exile. The material covers the time ending the Old Testament and leading to the birth of Jesus and the beginning of the New Testament. Hover over a Scripture reference, a window showing the verse pops up.
In the top left hand corner of this screen, look for three parallel lines. Click on them and a menu appears. This menu has a daily Bible verse (new each day), several website links, information about me, and a form at the bottom that you can use to contact me with questions about the lesson.
a new lesson in gathering
The main Scripture for the lesson rests set apart on the left side of the screen. On the right reside three discussion areas prompting your own thinking, or used as prompts for small group meetings. The three areas denote “Points to Ponder,” “Words to Wrangle,” and “Conclusions to Consider.” They look like the section set apart on the right side of this screen.
[su_pullquote align=”right”]Points to Ponder
This area will contain thoughts for your consideration and for ways to guide discussion within your small group. For example,
1) When was the last time you we gathered together in a group to worship God? What do you remember about the service? What has kept you from gathering again?
2) What feelings result from being “scattered?”[/su_pullquote]
But if you want to take your journey steps deeper, many of the words link to websites, videos and other material. If you follow all of the links, you have the heart of a college-level class or study.
flexible lesson
Each week, the lesson will add additional material. Look to Facebook, email and posts here for announcements about the new material. I will covenant with you for two things. First I will add new material here every week. If this goes on for a year, this is going to be one really big lesson. Second, if you want to use this material with a small group – through a ZOOM meeting, with the members of your family, through your own social media posts – you may ask me any question about this material and I will respond.
You can ask about content, understanding theology or the best approach for presenting this material to someone. It is not my point to argue – I will not enter discussions that wander down that path, but you have access to me for clarification. You can use this website and lesson at your convenience. The website is accessible 24/7.
You can read and study this material anonymously. But connection – “gathered” as it were – with the material, with me and this group, places a responsibility on your shoulders. When you read or study, leave a reply at the bottom of the screen. I will also covenant with you to respond here to each of the replies.
the new normal
With the restrictions lifted, I will be teaching the next four lessons at Eastside Christian Church, in Jeffersonville, Indiana. But a good number of you will never gather in that building. Many of you live far away. But even some people local to the building may not be able to attend. The risks of “gathering in a building” remain too great. Your circumstances prohibit your attendance. Instead “gather” here. Allow yourself to connect through a “new normal.”
What do you think? Are you ready to start the journey back? We are in this thing together. And it may just be time we begin to do things differently.
