Each Tuesday morning, as the Mariners staff gathers for our weekly staff meeting, we take a few moments to capture what has happened in the past week of ministry. We call this time (not all that cleverly) “storytime.” In it we recall to each other the things we’ve been a part of that God is doing in our midst. This past Tuesday, we spent time telling stories of our own “Neighborday” weekend experiences (the holiday formerly known as Labor Day). We heard the stories of multiple generations of people participating in a neighborhood chalk-art expo. We heard the stories of community barbecues and pool parties, ice cream socials and breakfasts together.

Here were the consistent themes: First, people who do the inviting are generally uncomfortable to do so. Some talked about how the fear of rejection in inviting people from their neighborhood to a community event almost paralyzed them. Secondly, to a person, the response from all those invited was that they were incredibly grateful–that the pulling together of everyone in the neighborhood for little more than an informal get together made their community safer, more friendly, more enjoyable. Third, people are longing for the “next” time to get everyone together again. It turns out, everyone is longing to be connected to the people around them. They just need a courageous person to create a reason to gather.

We were all created for relationships. There’s a reason why people who hosted NEIGHBORDAY events kept repeating to us how they had received so much gratitude from the invitees. In some ways, it’s our longing for meaningful relationships that unites us. The church is no different. In fact, on September 18th, we’ll launch the fall session of Life Groups–our pathway to meaningful relationships. There has already been a huge response from people looking to find deeper connection here at Mariners. For some of you, not yet connected in a Life Group, your first session will start with ROOTED. ROOTED is the safe place to wrestle with the big issues we all face: God, purpose, relationships. Sign up online or this Sunday on the patio at church.

In keeping with the spirit of NEIGHBORDAY, Doug Fields will kick off our fall series, called “NEIGHBORGOOD.” In it we’ll look at one of the most radical statements of Jesus. It’s the phrase that, if you grew up in the church, you’ve heard a million times. In a lot of ways, it’s the phrase that may have lost a little of its power in all its repetition. But, it’s the way the church is most beautifully expressed outside the walls of the worship center:

“Love your neighbor…”

It’s a loaded expression that has any number of questions to accompany it: What does it mean to love? Who qualifies as my neighbor? What happens if I’m not comfortable with my neighbors trying to love me? Throughout our NEIGHBORGOOD series, wrestle honestly with the questions: “Who is my neighbor?” and “What would it look like to love them?”

See you on Sunday,
Jeff

Thursday, September 26, 6:30p
Atria Del Sol Senior Center

“Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.”
-Galatians 5:25

Hopefully, this last weekend brought a little clarity to a common misunderstanding about the “spiritual” life. Many people live under the misunderstanding that following Jesus is primarily about a rugged dedication to a set of “Christian” practices or attributes that grant us access to a deeper spiritual intimacy with God. Only, that kind of thinking is backwards. It is intimacy with God’s Spirit — the Holy Spirit — that enables us to have the heart transformation our hearts are longing for. Then, out of that transformation, comes the things people generally associate with prerequisites for membership in the community of the church and life with God (“…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control”). God wants to build those kinds of things into us. They aren’t the demands of a God who withholds His Spirit that we might prove our worth to Him. No, He came to rescue broken people who require His Spirit to become whole again.

This week, consider where the Holy Spirit might be inviting you into a deeper closeness with Him. What might it look like for you to hear from Him? He intends to transform you by His power, not by the force of your own will.

In being together at the beach on Sunday afternoon: surfing, building sandcastles, throwing frisbees, and solidifying the “farmer tan” I have been cultivating all summer, I got a glimpse of God’s power at work. I had several conversations with people sensing and wrestling with the things to which the Holy Spirit was drawing their attention. I talked with people who were finding (like we all do) that obedience to the life to which God is calling us is a courageous and difficult thing. Yet, it is His Spirit which both alerts us to our need for obedience AND enables us with power to become obedient.

Last Sunday, far and away, the highlight of the service was Amanda Maguire. So many of you came to me at the door or at the beach mentioning how much her words got a hold of you. She continues to challenge me to rethink the people I include (and the people I choose to exclude) everyday. This next weekend is NEIGHBORDAY WEEKEND. Who will be included in your neighborhood? Who will be excluded? This next weekend will be such a landmark weekend for our church. Remember, the best of the church is expressed, not inside the walls of our building, but in the communities in which we live. We get to rewrite the story of what most people imagine Christians to be about: a hyper-exclusive club for the outwardly righteous. Throw a great party. Invite people. Share the story using the hashtag #mvneighborday.

See you Sunday,
Jeff

This Labor Day weekend, spend time getting to know the people who live in your neighborhood and celebrate NEIGHBORDAY instead!

Some ideas to get you started…

Questions? Contact Kim.