Inexplicable Church...

Sometimes you have a Sunday that really surprises you.

Yesterday Kate led 'all-age worship' - we sang all the old harvest songs! the kids made pizza in front of everyone. What was interesting was that quarter of an hour into the service we were full. We're the kind of church that people have a liquid understanding of when the service actually starts - (in more ways than one!). Usually fairly empty at the begining but slowly filling up. We're the kind of church that is never massively full but never massively empty. But yesterday was different.

12 new people. A stack of people who haven't been to church for years decided this sunday to return - most of them didn't know about the BBQ afterwards! Chairs were found but we've only got 80!

Why?

I don't really want to know - just that I enjoyed it and felt blessed is enough. Too often perhaps we feel we need to chase answers - maybe there is something to be said for "Church Inexplicable". Maybe there is something to be said for something that is' non- formulaic', something that is not prescribed but is ' inexplicably spontaneous'

Nick Page in Invisible Church talks about Wabi-Sabi worship.
"It is a Japanese concept which I find quite attractive. Wabi-sabi means the beauty of simple things imperfect and humble. Wabi-sabi is a beauty of things imperfect, impermanent and incomplete. It is the beauty of things modest and humble. It is the beauty of things unconventional"' pp 56
Church for me isn't just a sunday occurrence - but yesterday it was an occurrence that made me smile! Seeing community spontaneously come together like it did would make anyone smile - I think because it was wabi-sabi!!!??

Comments

Unknown said…
We recently had a Sunday like that at PUMP, www.PUMPChurch.org, in Portland, OR. It is an amazing thing for us to experience God in worship with some 60 inner-city kids, a host of adults, and the power of the Holy Spirit. It is a beautiful thing to see fresh faces hungry for the Lord. May God provide us wabi-sabi experiences again and again!
3:58 PM
Gordon said…
PUMPChurch looks pretty wabi-sabi to me!! Thanks for popping by!
8:11 PM
Heather's place said…
Does there have to be a reason?

I think God does stuff we don't expect. Not because we've planned it or prayed for it - he just does it.

PS - please keep blogging.

Thanks
8:44 PM
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