MOSAIC WEEK 1
WELCOME BACK!
Welcome to REUNION. We pray that you feel save and welcomed by our Crew. We are everyday people so please be your everyday self. We don’t want you to pretend you understand everything we’re doing but we’ll also try to make it as comfortable as possible. Therefore, we invite you to be present but please don’t feel forced to be engaged more than you’re able to be.
Liturgy:
Here are the scriptures we are reading today:
Psalm 119:33-40
God, teach me lessons for living
so I can stay the course.
Give me insight so I can do what you tell me—
my whole life one long, obedient response.
Guide me down the road of your commandments;
I love traveling this freeway!
Give me an appetite for your words of wisdom,
and not for piling up loot.
Divert my eyes from toys and trinkets,
invigorate me on the pilgrim way.
Affirm your promises to me—
promises made to all who fear you.
Deflect the harsh words of my critics—
but what you say is always so good.
See how hungry I am for your counsel;
preserve my life through your righteous ways!
John 15:11-17
11-15 “I’ve told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends. You are my friends when you do the things I command you. I’m no longer calling you servants because servants don’t understand what their master is thinking and planning. No, I’ve named you friends because I’ve let you in on everything I’ve heard from the Father.
16 “You didn’t choose me, remember; I chose you, and put you in the world to bear fruit, fruit that won’t spoil. As fruit bearers, whatever you ask the Father in relation to me, he gives you.
17 “But remember the root command: Love one another.
1st Corinthians 4:5-8
5-6 Remember, our Message is not about ourselves; we’re proclaiming Jesus Christ, the Master. All we are is messengers, errand runners from Jesus for you. It started when God said, “Light up the darkness!” and our lives filled up with light as we saw and understood God in the face of Christ, all bright and beautiful.
7-12 If you only look at us, you might well miss the brightness. We carry this precious Message around in the unadorned clay pots of our ordinary lives. That’s to prevent anyone from confusing God’s incomparable power with us. As it is, there’s not much chance of that. You know for yourselves that we’re not much to look at. We’ve been surrounded and battered by troubles, but we’re not demoralized; we’re not sure what to do, but we know that God knows what to do; we’ve been spiritually terrorized, but God hasn’t left our side; we’ve been thrown down, but we haven’t broken.
Songs:
Our God Saves
Reckless Love
Beautiful Things
Lead In Notes:
Today is our Fouth Birthday. We began as a small community of eight adults and nine children who met in a home back in September of 2019.
did you know? That 80% of church plants do not survive the first five years? Will We?
We believe so because God is not done! If we continue to remain open to joining where we sense the Holy Spirit moving we’ll be just fine.
BUT What If?
“What if” can be an exciting time to dream but if you’re serious, what if become the fertile soil for God to plant a vision for the Kingdom of heaven in your lives for the sake of the world around you.
what if led us to move here and start this with you.
Our culture statements began as answers to our original “What if”
what if we focused on Apprenticeship not just attendance
What if we cared more about what happened everyday instead of just Sunday - Tables!
What is we focused on reconciliation because it’s a massive aspect of GOd’s heart and Kingdom?
What if we partied because God is Good News?
What if we tried new things because Love is always finding relevant ways to express itself
What if we encouraged and equipped people from different areas who catch a vision for what we’re doing?
What if, Mosaic?
Scrapes gathered into a single new piece or art.
There is a demongraphic of people in our culture referred to as, “Dones.” People who are Done with Church who, like pieces of paper who’ve been cut, torn, ripped, hurt and harmed and left on the floor deemed unusable or for some in fact over used to the point they’ve found them selves DONE.
Josh Packard in his book, Church Refugees: Sociologists Reveal why People are Done with the Church But Not Their Faith describers four consistent reasons people find themselves done. People were searched for:
Loving Community… but instead they got Judgement. This means that people were looking for a place to grow, learn and develop but instead of being encouraged in their faith they were judged for their lifestyles of lack of faith. Belong before you believe is a cliche because it’s often said but seldomly experienced.
Transformative Activity… but instead they got Bureaucracy. They wanted to get engaged and help but top down leadership structures made that impossible. The system was stacked against them or at least where they were in that moment.
True Conversation… but instead they got One-Sided Doctrinal Monologue: questions, wrestling, doubt and wonder were met with statements not engagement.
Meaningful Ministry About things That Matter… but instead they got Shallow Moral Prescription: They believed that loving God leads us to love out communities but the church was more concerned with sin management.
What if there was a place for the scrapes of Church culture to be REUNION with God and Church?
Matthew 9: Who Jesus called into community.
9 Passing along, Jesus saw a man at his work collecting taxes. His name was Matthew. Jesus said, “Come along with me.” Matthew stood up and followed him.
10-11 Later when Jesus was eating supper at Matthew’s house with his close followers, a lot of disreputable characters came and joined them. When the Pharisees saw him keeping this kind of company, they had a fit, and lit into Jesus’ followers. “What kind of example is this from your Teacher, acting cozy with crooks and misfits?”
12-13 Jesus, overhearing, shot back, “Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? Go figure out what this Scripture means: ‘I’m after mercy, not religion.’ I’m here to invite outsiders, not coddle insiders.” - The Message.
Tax Collectors were Jews working for their oppressors collecting money from their own communities to help the enemy. Imagine their reputation!
Dinner was a cultural sign of a lifelong commitment to relationships with whoever shared your table.
Sick? Sickness is less often what we do but what happens to us. Sure we can live a lifestyle that causes sickness but more than not we are simple infected by things around us.
Jesus doesnt see Matthew as someone who caused sickness but as a Dr caring for someone who’s been harmed or effected.
What if the church imitated Christ view and way?
Mercy not Sacrifice/religion - we can be good at following the rules and bad at loving people.
mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted, joined with a desire to help them - what is referred to as compassion.
What if DONES could find a place for healing, care and mercy?
Some would say this is exactly what is happening here at REUNION.
but is God done? Are there DONES or others affected and broken who can be shown mercy? YES YES YES
Jesus later says in Matthew 9: “What a huge harvest!” he said to his disciples. “How few workers! On your knees and pray for harvest hands!”
when we pray what if we often find we’re a part of the solution.
How can you participate in What God is doing this season?
would you consider helping in a existing or new ministry of our church? Sign up today!
We are so glad you’re here today. We don’t know all your stories but if you feel done with church or aspects of life we’re so excited that Christ has promised to Show mercy and we will our best to extend it too.
