The Sacred Pause
Sacred Pause • Sermon • Submitted
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· 6 viewsPeople in chaos, Christ brings you out of hiding to gain life from what used to be a threat and become an eternal kingdom community forged as the powers that create chaos are disarmed and God commands them to back off, I win.
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Background to the Sacred Pause
Background to the Sacred Pause
Development Team
Teaching team
Season of reflection, going beyond the Daily Bread to have deeper conversations with the Lord.
Having healthy rhythms of engagement and solitude.
Pausing: an intention to focus on what matters most
Jesus invites us to times of stillness and solitude to consider, meditate on, contemplate who he is, what he is saying what he has done and wants to do, with and for those he loves.
Repentance: What needs displaced in our lives to orient them toward Christ?
Be Still: It’s Not What We Think it Means
Be Still: It’s Not What We Think it Means
Pausing: an intention to focus on what matters most
Teacher who made students be still and silent and do nothing for 10 minutes
It’s Hard to Be Still
It’s Hard to Be Still
Teacher who made students be still and silent and do nothing for 10 minutes
Physical Stillness: I can’t sit still...
Mental Stillness: stimulation, distractions everywhere
Pete Scazzero: We have way more external activity in our life than our inner life can sustain and it leads to all kinds of trouble in our everyday life.
Emotional stillness: it takes courage to face the reality underneath rather than avoid being alone with our feelings about
Broken dreams
Fears
Insecurities
Doubts
Unrealized aspirations
Our Resistance to Stillness
Our Resistance to Stillness
Fear of reality
Feeling how bad we think things are
Look for distractions/make distractions happen
Music playing in our ears
Phone apps
People with Tinitus - play sounds to hide the din beneath it so we don’t have to hear it.
The noise we allow and often create for ourselves on purpose has a purpose: to overpower how we don’t want to feel.
[SLIDE 2] God Says: Be Still
[SLIDE 2] God Says: Be Still
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling. Selah There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. The nations rage, the kingdoms totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah Come, behold the works of the Lord, how he has brought desolations on the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; he breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the chariots with fire. “Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah
What needs displaced in our lives to orient them toward Christ?
Why would God say be still?
Why would God say be still?
When I’ve sung the song Be Still and Know…calm down.
10 - be still...grow slack, release
When I’ve sung the song Be Still and Know…calm down.
And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray.
And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed,
When I’ve sung the song Be Still and Know…calm down.
10 - be still...grow slack, release
But Why?
[SLIDE 3.2] Be Still to know I am in the Chaos
[SLIDE 3.2] Be Still to know I am in the Chaos
Message to a people under seige, in Chaos: I am there.
Come out of hiding.
-Refuge/defense/strength to empower you for action
Therefore - because of his being an active protector, we have nothing to fear despite everything blowing up around us; despite the calls of doom and gloom, despite the physical earth and world changing...
This is where God wants to be - there with you (refuge); he invites us to this place to grow us
Refuge and strength - always present to help in troubled times
Therefore - because of his being an active protector, we have nothing to fear despite everything blowing up around us; despite the calls of doom and gloom, despite the physical earth and world changing...
The powers that created chaos are disarmed
So stop reaching, grabbing, striving and be still and know this is who he is in the midst of all your chaos.
[SLIDE 3.2] Be Still and know that I am in my City
[SLIDE 3.2] Be Still and know that I am in my City
A city under seige
There is a path/a river whose streams make God's dwelling place glad. There are streams of God's kingdom in the midst of it all. God lives here.
Waters that once threatened have been made calm and are now life giving
Recycling: gain life from what used to be a threat and become
Waters that once threatened have been made calm and are now life giving
-A new kingdom community where peace reigns is being formed - eternal;
-A new community where peace reigns is being formed - eternal; one that is seen with an inward eye as a prophet sees forged through the process of small victories and powers and principalities being disarmed which are signs of God's rule, reign and judgment
one that is seen with an inward eye as a prophet sees forged through the process of small victories and powers and principalities being disarmed which are signs of God's rule, reign and judgment
Community is an expression of love - God sends us to be with you in this
As community being forged - ministry of presence
-Don't have to speak
Christ brings you out of hiding to gain life from what used to be a threat
[SLIDE 3.3] Be Still and Know that I am
[SLIDE 3.3] Be Still and Know that I am
Vision of things/the kingdom to come
This is where God wants to be - there with you (refuge); he invites us to this place to grow us
forged as the powers that create chaos are disarmed
Small victories now are a glimpse, a taste of what is to come
Conflict, wars - no more as God forcibly disarms
and God commands them to back off, I win.
Can you see it?
Takes an inward look (like a prophet)
[SLIDE 4]Courage to Be Still
[SLIDE 4]Courage to Be Still
Similar to "Peace, be still" spoken to a raging sea.
--Be still - message to a restless and turbulent world to step back; chaos you are not in charge, I am.
-takes courage to go
The Spirit waits for us to...
-turn off the noise and go to that place; let him talk to us
-Don't have to speak
-
Our repentance may be around our resistance.
Stillness leads to cooperating with the spirit
The nations rage and fall but when God speaks, the earth melts - does what he says.
He brings desolations, makes wars stop, destroys weapons.
2, 5 - shall not be made to slip, be toppled
7 - the Lord of hosts - troops
10 - be still...grow slack, release
People in chaos, Jesus invites you tout of hiding to be still; gain life from what used to be a threat; experience the emerging eternal kingdom community forged as the powers that create chaos are disarmed and God commands them to back off, I win.