Feels Like "Forty"
Here I am, back again, less than a week later. So those of you who made a bet with your friend or spouse or both that you would not see me again until September, pay up.
I have been attending Bloomington Baptist Church (in Bloomington, MN) for about 42 years, and the highlight of those years took place back in the summer of 2004, when our youth pastor, Cliff Johnson, had this crazy idea to engage our church, that is, our entire congregation, in forty days of 24/7 prayer, built around a theme and logo of the word "Forty". I won't go into detail, but as I have mentioned before, there was at that time a feeling of unity and purpose in our church that I have not felt before or since. Until now...
Sunday, July 29th, we experienced a concert of prayer, as we gathered in groups of 3-6, and prayed through various topics, interspersed with times of worship. A very powerful time, but we were just getting started. Then we had the business meeting for which the prayer meeting was much needed preparation. At said meeting, we voted to call a Senior Pastor, Bob Bakke, and an Associate Pastor, Bryan Moak, after having been without a Senior Pastor for a year and a half, and with no permanent professional staff since the beginning of this year. This had to be the first time that I saw people openly weeping in a church business meeting (at least with tears of joy). It marked the end of a very turbulent past, and the beginning of a very exciting future.
And you can imagine my surprise and delight when my Daily Reading Bible brought me to II Chronicles 29-30 on that date. There I read an account of a people celebrating a new beginning in the temple of the LORD, just as I had experienced hours earlier. My jottings from that day...
"Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly." - II Chronicles 29:36
Like them, we too rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it is unexplainable apart from God. And like them, it was done quickly. I know that a year and a half may not be anyone's idea of "quickly", but the staff as it was voted on in its final configuration went from dream to possibility to reality within a matter of weeks, not months or years.
"The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the kings and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD." - II Chronicles 30:12
Like Judah, we also desire the hand of God to be upon us to give us one heart to do the things - and here is where we move from Old to New Testament church - that Jesus commands us to do by the Word of the LORD. It is not for us to sit back now and watch these two pastors work their magic. As Bob has said on many occasions, we are all in this together (my apologies to anyone who now has "High School Musical" stuck in their head), and we are each called to step up and do our part in what God has in store for us.
This last Sunday, 8/5, was our first official Sunday with Bob as our new Senior Pastor, and the feeling of joy and anticipation was palpable. And imagine my surprise and delight when my Daily Reading Bible led me that day to Ezra 9. My jottings...
"But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery." - Ezra 9:8
This one isn't quite the perfect analogy, but a number of words jumped out at me.
"But now for a brief moment" - this is the part I hope is not part of the analogy, but I am thankful for each moment he gives us going forward in ministry together.
"favor has been shown by the LORD our God" - again, I truly believe this, because what I have just seen happen could not have happened apart from divine intervention.
"a remnant" - remnant may be a little strong, but I feel that those who are still here were meant to see this, and those who left, we need to invite back.
"a secure hold within this holy place" - God once again has given us a secure hold within this holy place, which only a few short months ago was threatening to crumble.
"brighten our eyes" - in order that we might look up and look ahead, after so long looking down and looking behind.
"and grant us a little reviving" - here I used the ESV version purposely, because it uses the word "reviving" instead of "relief". I pray for revival within and without our walls, and our giant baby steps (an oxymoron, I know, but I feel them both) of the last few weeks are just the beginning.
"in our slavery" - like I said, not a perfect analogy, but if I had to make it fit, I would say in our slavery to self and to mediocrity of ministry and mission.
So to wrap it up and to bring it full circle, I don't know if anyone else feels this strongly, but when I walk into our church now, for the first time in over three years, I can truly say, "It feels like 'Forty'".
Footnote: Astute readers may be scratching their heads (if I actually had blog readers with multiple heads) over my mention of the "Daily Reading Bible", after I had previously come out so strongly against schedules and deadlines and quotas in my daily Bible reading routine (see "Is God Relentless?"). I will explain this change of heart in my next post. There, a cliffhanger to bring you back!
I have been attending Bloomington Baptist Church (in Bloomington, MN) for about 42 years, and the highlight of those years took place back in the summer of 2004, when our youth pastor, Cliff Johnson, had this crazy idea to engage our church, that is, our entire congregation, in forty days of 24/7 prayer, built around a theme and logo of the word "Forty". I won't go into detail, but as I have mentioned before, there was at that time a feeling of unity and purpose in our church that I have not felt before or since. Until now...
Sunday, July 29th, we experienced a concert of prayer, as we gathered in groups of 3-6, and prayed through various topics, interspersed with times of worship. A very powerful time, but we were just getting started. Then we had the business meeting for which the prayer meeting was much needed preparation. At said meeting, we voted to call a Senior Pastor, Bob Bakke, and an Associate Pastor, Bryan Moak, after having been without a Senior Pastor for a year and a half, and with no permanent professional staff since the beginning of this year. This had to be the first time that I saw people openly weeping in a church business meeting (at least with tears of joy). It marked the end of a very turbulent past, and the beginning of a very exciting future.
And you can imagine my surprise and delight when my Daily Reading Bible brought me to II Chronicles 29-30 on that date. There I read an account of a people celebrating a new beginning in the temple of the LORD, just as I had experienced hours earlier. My jottings from that day...
"Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it was done so quickly." - II Chronicles 29:36
Like them, we too rejoiced at what God had brought about for his people, because it is unexplainable apart from God. And like them, it was done quickly. I know that a year and a half may not be anyone's idea of "quickly", but the staff as it was voted on in its final configuration went from dream to possibility to reality within a matter of weeks, not months or years.
"The hand of God was also on Judah to give them one heart to do what the kings and the princes commanded by the word of the LORD." - II Chronicles 30:12
Like Judah, we also desire the hand of God to be upon us to give us one heart to do the things - and here is where we move from Old to New Testament church - that Jesus commands us to do by the Word of the LORD. It is not for us to sit back now and watch these two pastors work their magic. As Bob has said on many occasions, we are all in this together (my apologies to anyone who now has "High School Musical" stuck in their head), and we are each called to step up and do our part in what God has in store for us.
This last Sunday, 8/5, was our first official Sunday with Bob as our new Senior Pastor, and the feeling of joy and anticipation was palpable. And imagine my surprise and delight when my Daily Reading Bible led me that day to Ezra 9. My jottings...
"But now for a brief moment favor has been shown by the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant and to give us a secure hold within his holy place, that our God may brighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our slavery." - Ezra 9:8
This one isn't quite the perfect analogy, but a number of words jumped out at me.
"But now for a brief moment" - this is the part I hope is not part of the analogy, but I am thankful for each moment he gives us going forward in ministry together.
"favor has been shown by the LORD our God" - again, I truly believe this, because what I have just seen happen could not have happened apart from divine intervention.
"a remnant" - remnant may be a little strong, but I feel that those who are still here were meant to see this, and those who left, we need to invite back.
"a secure hold within this holy place" - God once again has given us a secure hold within this holy place, which only a few short months ago was threatening to crumble.
"brighten our eyes" - in order that we might look up and look ahead, after so long looking down and looking behind.
"and grant us a little reviving" - here I used the ESV version purposely, because it uses the word "reviving" instead of "relief". I pray for revival within and without our walls, and our giant baby steps (an oxymoron, I know, but I feel them both) of the last few weeks are just the beginning.
"in our slavery" - like I said, not a perfect analogy, but if I had to make it fit, I would say in our slavery to self and to mediocrity of ministry and mission.
So to wrap it up and to bring it full circle, I don't know if anyone else feels this strongly, but when I walk into our church now, for the first time in over three years, I can truly say, "It feels like 'Forty'".
Footnote: Astute readers may be scratching their heads (if I actually had blog readers with multiple heads) over my mention of the "Daily Reading Bible", after I had previously come out so strongly against schedules and deadlines and quotas in my daily Bible reading routine (see "Is God Relentless?"). I will explain this change of heart in my next post. There, a cliffhanger to bring you back!
posted by wilsonte | 10:03 PM
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