I don't know about you, but my life is busy and crazy, and quite frankly, I am done with it.
In our culture today, we have even glorified being busy. "How are you doing?" Busy "Well, that's good."
IS IT?
Are we called to be busy?
I think what I am missing is a rhythm, a heart beat to my life. Something that drives the ebs and flows in a more focused and patterned way.
The cool thing is that a rhythm of life already exists in our faith. I will lift up just two major ones here: Spiritual Practices and the Liturgical Calendar.
LITURGICAL CALENDAR
In many mainline churches the liturgical calendar is an annual rhythm. Each year we celebrate the new year, four Sundays before Christmas, on the first week of the Season of Advent; the season we find ourselves in now.
In the season of Advent, we are expectantly awaiting the coming of the Christ, not only the baby in the manger on Christmas day, but also awaiting the return of Christ again. It is in the tension of these two advents that we find ourselves; "the already and not yet"; Christ has come and Christ will come again.
I like to equate the Season of Advent to cleaning your house for a special guest. When I clean house, I usually ask these questions:
What things do I need to keep?
What things do I need to reorganize?
And what things do I need to give away?
Might we use these questions to guide us in the this season so that we will be more open to the rhythm of God's story in us and around us.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
These are simple but profound ways that we can engage in a rhythm for our days and weeks. These can be as simple as taking a deep breath in the morning and offering a simple thank you prayer for life to God. These practices can also be as involved as long periods of time in silence and reflection.
Here is the intro video from a series we are doing called "Living Liturgically"
You can find the whole series HERE
In our culture today, we have even glorified being busy. "How are you doing?" Busy "Well, that's good."
IS IT?
Are we called to be busy?
I think what I am missing is a rhythm, a heart beat to my life. Something that drives the ebs and flows in a more focused and patterned way.
The cool thing is that a rhythm of life already exists in our faith. I will lift up just two major ones here: Spiritual Practices and the Liturgical Calendar.
LITURGICAL CALENDAR
In many mainline churches the liturgical calendar is an annual rhythm. Each year we celebrate the new year, four Sundays before Christmas, on the first week of the Season of Advent; the season we find ourselves in now.
In the season of Advent, we are expectantly awaiting the coming of the Christ, not only the baby in the manger on Christmas day, but also awaiting the return of Christ again. It is in the tension of these two advents that we find ourselves; "the already and not yet"; Christ has come and Christ will come again.
I like to equate the Season of Advent to cleaning your house for a special guest. When I clean house, I usually ask these questions:
What things do I need to keep?
What things do I need to reorganize?
And what things do I need to give away?
Might we use these questions to guide us in the this season so that we will be more open to the rhythm of God's story in us and around us.
SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
These are simple but profound ways that we can engage in a rhythm for our days and weeks. These can be as simple as taking a deep breath in the morning and offering a simple thank you prayer for life to God. These practices can also be as involved as long periods of time in silence and reflection.
Here is the intro video from a series we are doing called "Living Liturgically"
You can find the whole series HERE
Within the Liturgical Calendar and Spiritual practices, I know we can find our holy rhythm again.
Will you join me in this new year?
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