Pastoral Ponderings—Liquid Church?
Have you ever wondered what is so mesmerizing about the beauty of a river scene, especially at sunset? This attached photo is of the Cuyahoga River at sunset from our recent hike in the CVNP. Many of my favorite pictures are water scenes at sunset, and as I’m looking at it, I’m thinking that part of what is so mesmerizing is the interplay of the different facets and colors in the image, and that it almost feels like you can see the movement and hear the gurgling and the breeze, even though it’s just a picture.
You may have heard Karol or I mentioning something about “Liquid Church,” and been wondering what that might be about. You have the chance to begin to get the feel of Liquid Church this Sunday, when we are beginning to demonstrate facets of what that might mean. The label “Liquid Church” is what was used at a service we attended during our continuing education time away this summer. Maybe it earned that name because it is a way of doing church that builds on the beauty of the interplay of different reflections of light, in the same way that the beauty of a river scene grows out of the interplay of different reflections of light on and around the river.
“Break-Out Church” was suggested for what may be a more helpful description of Liquid Church, because in its full-blown format, it may have two, three or even four break-out sessions running at the same time, exploring different facets of the same theme. We’ll only be looking at one of the ways that these break-outs might look this Sunday, but each facet is intended to be a bite-sized piece of the theme under discussion that can be led by most anyone.
In the same way that a river scene is a thing of beauty to draw you in, Liquid Church (or “Break-Out Church”), while a little different, is also designed to be a thing of beauty to draw you in—in this case, to better draw you into the experience of the Gospel in our worship setting. I look forward to this experiment in worship with you, and to the opportunity to experience many more reflections of the light and beauty of God’s Good News as presented in this form of worship. See you Sunday!—Pastor Jim