Signipretation: 2/4-5/2012

This weekend, we finished our series on our Five S's but we're all just at the beginning of living them.  We hope you'll commit to experiencing the presence of God in some new (but very old) ways this year.

– Make space for Solitude.  Start your day with some noise-less moments.  Steal away some quiet in the middle of the day.  Meditate for a while before you fall asleep. The world has noise enough:  Add to the quiet.

– Absorb Scripture everyday.  Let the words of God frame your life.  Interpret the world through the story God is telling.  Read some small parts to make them a part of your day.  Read some longer sections to see the grand sweeping story.  Consider trying a reading plan over at youversion.com.

– Practice Support in your relational life.  Build friendships over meals and shared experiences.  Listen to your family members.  Invest in this community of faith.  Sometimes all it takes to practice support is just to show up. 

– Live a life of Service.  Grow the kingdom of God by making yourself less.  Try to find things that give you life and then figure out how you could do them in a way that serves a bigger purpose.  

– Embrace and create Significant Events.  As we heard this weekend, there may be things that happen to us, for all the reasons Pete talked about.  But we also have the chance to create moments that can hold great meaning. 

Something as insignificant as changing your routine and driving a new way to work or going to a new reataurant can stir a revival.  Go somewhere you've never gone, even if it's local.  Try a museum, or a festival, or a grocery store across town.  Sometimes a new scene can make the world look new.

Maybe you need to make a pilgrimage.  Go somewhere that seems sacred to you, maybe because of a family story or a memory.  Maybe it's just a place that you can't get out of your mind.  I made a pilgrimage once to a favorite author's hometown because it inspired my favorite stories.  Technically, it may have been stalking but it was also a Significant Event.

The premise of Romans 8 is that we are free.  Free from the cosmic consequences of sin and death.  Free from fear.  Free from the pain of being apart from God.  Paul says the Spirit is in us and the Spirit of God gives LIFE. Any day we live like that's true becomes a Significant one. 

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