Sunday, September 17, 2023

Theme:

The theme this week is influenced by Joan Gray’s book “Sailboat Church” which our Thursday night small group us studying. Jesus calls us to be a sailboat Christian. We are to allow the winds of the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us. We are to trust the path that God will lead us down and not rely on our own understanding.

Reflections:

Jesus makes a promise to the disciples that he will never leave them. He will continue to be with them through the Holy Spirit, his spirit that will be a guide and comfort for them. They do not completely understand what Jesus is saying until the day of Pentecost when his Spirit would arrive with power. Jesus does not leave the disciples to do as they please but, joins them in spirit to guide, teach, and lead them. And the same is true with us today as followers and as a covenant community. Even though we think we are on our own, we are not. And that is where the image of sailboat church comes into play.

An image that was prominent in the early church was that of a sailboat as opposed to a rowboat. These two images are in tension with one another because a rowboat is a human powered endeavor while a sailboat is guided by humans but is fully dependent upon the wind for power. The early church as well as the church today, is a God powered movement. Unfortunately, in our error and desire we have turned the church into an institution that depends on human power more than God power or the Holy Spirit. And this often leads to tension, frustration, and burnout. We need to return to the foundation that the church is powered by God, and we must trust and follow the leading of God through the Holy Spirit.

The dominant attitude in a sailboat church is, “God can do more than we can ask or imagine” (Eph 3:20). And that what they have or lack in human and material resources is not the decisive factor in what they can accomplish as a church. A sailboat church looks on church as a continuing adventure with a God who guides and empowers them to do more than they could ever have dreamed. Sailors in a sailboat church do not assume they know the Lord’s agenda. Rather they ask, “What is God leading us to be and do now in the place where we find ourselves?” They are willing to spend considerable time and energy on discerning where the Spirit is moving and inviting them to invest themselves in his work. They believe that God is both the one who calls and the one who provides what is needed to do the work. So how can St Andrews embrace the idea that we are a sailboat church?

Questions:

1. How do we at St. Andrews define success?
2. How often do we take time to discern the Holy Spirit’s direction in our own lives and at St. Andrews?
3. Why do we fight change in the church when many times it is God’s leading that we are fighting?
4. How can we become better at discerning and following the will of Christ?
5. What is God leading us, St. Andrews, to be and do now in the place where we find ourselves?