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Wait and Listen

What is your smaller world of interaction teaching you?

Some of you may have discovered a neglected discipline as your world has become smaller during the pandemic. Maybe you have cooked more, baked more, practiced an instrument more, gardened more, or perhaps you have rested. But my guess is that the discipline of waiting and listening for Jesus’ voice has not become “easier.” I pray that we would all be given grace to increase our capacity to listen to Jesus. If we don’t, we will miss out on so much joy.

John the Baptist’s life is full of so many discipleship lessons for the followers of Jesus. When his disciples are all stirred up by comparison and jealousy John responds with contentment, jubilation and joy.

His contentment had been nurtured through surrender and faithfulness.

He says, “A person can only receive what is given them from heaven.” Without this surrender and perseverance in relationship to God John would not have had joy.

John’s joy has been nurtured through clarity and conviction.

He is clear about who He is and what is about. His identity flows from His relationship with God and the unique time in which He has been situated in God’s plan. John richly describes his relationship with Jesus, with himself, and his relationships with people and the stuff of earth through the metaphor of the wedding party. John says,

“The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less.” (John 3:29-30)

The Friend of the Groom

When you are part of the wedding part, the groom’s men or the bride’s maids you have certain responsibilities and roles to play. At the wedding the point of focus is not you; it’s the groom and bride. As the friend of the groom you are not trying to upstage him; you want to attend to his needs and to his purposes in loving, celebrating, and building up his bride.

John says he has been attending to Jesus, the Messiah. John has been waiting for Jesus. John has been listening for Jesus. And when Jesus speaks, John has joy. When the bride moves toward Jesus John celebrates and feels a sense of completion in his life.

Are you learning to wait on and listen for Jesus? Our joy is in hearing his voice and responding to Him in obedience.

Waiting and listening are not passive; they require attentive effort.

At at wedding celebration the friend of the groom may be seen sitting, walking, and standing. Sometimes he appears to be alone — but he may actually be on task for the groom. Sometimes he appears to be with the groom: sitting, walking, standing. Sometimes the friend of the groom may be attending to a need of the groom’s bride on the groom’s behalf. There is joy in all of it.

But all the activity has as its point of reference that the friend of the groom has been able to wait and to listen.

Even while active in mundane or once-in-a-lifetime tasks, the friend of the groom is mindful to listen for the groom’s voice.

This is John’s internal posture: attending to the voice of Jesus.

Is it yours?

You can nurture this kind of attention through:

daily surrender to Jesus.

daily openness to His Spirit filling you.

daily feeding on His Words and the stories of Jesus’ life.

daily mindfulness to His nudge drawing your attention to people so you can participate in what He is doing in their lives and yours.

celebrating the union of the Church with Jesus the Lamb of God!

LJWJ — Resurrection Authority

A few weeks ago we made a shift from Journey Through John to Life Journey With Jesus (LJWJ). I haven’t abandoned the Gospel of John! Instead of blogging or creating a video unpacking the text during the day I made a shift to begin a new series on the first Sunday after Easter to explore the Gospel of John in our Weekend Broadcast. The Broadcast has been designed to assist people in having a House Church experience on the weekend anywhere around the world.

So here’s Resurrection Authority, from 2:13-25 taken from the Origin Church Weekend Broadcast on 17 April 2020.

Prayer of the People, 8 May 2020

Heavenly Father,

Your communion is filled with joy — there’s joy produced in relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Thank you for sharing your life with us and delivering us into your Kingdom. Even now we know we have had a taste of your joy.

We open our hearts to you. Fill us with your Spirit. May joy in our fellowship be a sign of your abundant love and the sure promise of our faith secured by Jesus Christ. Oh that your joy would spring up in every obedient and faithful act of worship provoked by faith in your name.

May your joy in us create a rebellion against hopelessness, despair, and apathy. These weigh us down Lord, creating spiritual inertia that resists love. Forgive us Lord. We don’t know how to appreciate your presence in creation, in each other, in the poor, in the merciful, and in the meek. Renew our spirits and create in us a clean heart.

Father, you have provided us with food and shelter. You have lifted our heads with words of  encouragement and compassion. You have helped us persevere through our struggles. 

Thank you for this grace.

We lift up to you those in our congregation who
long for friendship
cry for comfort
pray for purpose and 
ask for provision.

Meet them Lord. Fulfill your Word in their lives for the glory of your name.

We lift up to you those in our city who
need a safe space,
are pressed down by anxiety, or
are trapped by addiction.

Oh Lord, deliver them by the power of your Spirit and bring them into the joy of your fellowship.

Lord we lift up to you these cities and the people who reside in them. Grant them the joy of your salvation and please raise up men and women overflowing with stories of your redemption in Oman, Alexandria, Oslo, Bangkok, Tehran, Brasilia, and Ottawa. Establish your church and the good work of their hands.

Jesus you are above all. In joyful adoration we bend the knee and call you Lord. We pray today as you taught us. 
(Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever. 
Amen.

brunswick stew

judgement shall not be suspended
measured with colors from your heart
black and white with no grey
humility could have saved us
at any moment before
you were at home
you were at home
saw a black man jogging
grabbed your gun
unlocked your truck
put in the key
turned the ignition
reverse then drive
a neighbour joins you
started down the road
drove past him
parked in the street
exited your vehicle
released the safety
waited for him
we can only suppose
maybe more or less
but here he comes
ambushed him
weapon fired
now he’s fighting 
for his life
he falls he dies
you go home
we can only suppose
damn stew
so familiar
you eat it cold
with your
father
…………………………..
Ahmuad Arbery’s blood cries out 

On 23 February 2020 Ahmaud Arbery went jogging in a community outside of Brunswick Georgia. He was shot dead by a father and son who chased him down. Justice seemed suspended until cell phone video was made public.

Prayer of the People, 1 May 2020

Here’s the Prayer of the People from the Origin Weekend Broadcast for 1 May 2020.

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for bringing us into your communion — the communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This costly grace formed in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus has granted us the faith in which we stand and has changed our lives forever. Thank you!

In Christ Jesus you have radically altered our past, present, and future.
You have forgiven us of our sins.
You have wiped the slate clean.
You have loved us.
You have brought us out of the kingdom of darkness and into the kingdom of Your Son.
You have given us a new heart.
You have filled us with your Spirit.

You are making us new.
You are renewing our minds.
You are transforming our attitudes and actions.
You are giving us new desires.
You are fulfilling your word.
You are pouring your love into our lives.

You will cause every promise in Christ to be a Yes.
You will return to set all things right.
You will redeem our lives.
You will be praised forever!

Oh Spirit, Come— Gather the Church of Jesus into praise and into intercession with you.

We long for every tear to be tenderly wiped from our faces.
We long for our faith to be sight. But even now Lord fortify us with the disciplines and rhythms that tap deeply into your life and your Word.

Oh Lord, we set before you peoples who feel forgotten and crushed in this coronavirus pandemic. We plead with you for healing across the whole planet. We seek You for peace in homes and the transformation of relationships fractured by neglect or even violence. We pray that the love of Jesus would abound so that our neighbours experience love and not accusation and hate because of race.

We seek You & your Kingdom so we pray as Jesus taught us: (Please join me in the Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one;
for yours is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, 
forever.  Amen