A slight shift in focus

I just returned from a week on vacation in Aruba. This trip was a gift from some friends of ours who invited us to stay with them in their time share condo. We gratefully received this gift and enjoyed a week in the sun, sitting at various beaches or by the pool, snorkeling, swimming, eating delicious food and enjoying wonderful company.

I've never been snorkeling before. I would definitely do that again. I really enjoyed being able to get so up close and person with such an incredibly beautiful and diverse underwater world. It's one thing to see it on tv and a completely other experience to be in the midst of the fish and the coral and all the life going on below the surface of the water. Next time I go snorkeling, though I'll remember to put more sun screen on the parts of my body that are floating above the water. Sun burned butt cheeks are not so comfortable!

After a week of thinking about nothing more than whether it would be a beach day or a pool day my brain is a little cloudy. But, I'm finding myself very quickly snapping back to attention as I resume planning for my sabbatical.

Right before I left on vacation, I had a wonderful morning conversation with Don and Nancy, people from my congregation who are very wise and who agreed to sit with me and listen to me talk about my hoped for sabbatical experience to help me begin to more clearly define what I'm hoping to learn and see and accomplish with this sabbatical time. They asked me what I've noticed is emerging in the mainline in the time that I've been exploring emerging congregations from outside of my own faith tradition. I had to admit that I haven't been paying much attention to what is happening in my own tradition because I've been so enamored with what is happening that seems shiny and new and different outside of that tradition. Their question got me thinking though and wondering about what is happening in my own faith tradition. How are pastors and congregations in the United Church of Christ and in other mainline traditions responding to the forces of social and cultural change that are calling all Christians and all churches to become truer more authentic in their faith expressions?

Even as I ask this question I know that the answer is bound to be wonderfully complex and diverse and I can think of many local colleagues who are doing creative and innovative things in their existing congregations. I'm so grateful for this question because it's forcing me to broaden my scope and to see more clearly what is right under my nose.

In light of this conversation and that very important question I am planning to shift the focus of my sabbatical somewhat. I still want to explore the various newly started congregations that I've learned about over the past few months but now I want to add in an exploration of some existing congregations who are embracing the changes in the world around us and finding ways to incorporate those changes into their day to day lives in worship, service, fellowship and evangelism.

So now I'm thinking about incorporating visits to the Art and Soul Cafe at Christ Church Cathedral in St. Louis, MO and Brentwood Christian Church in Springfield, MO and Scotsdale Congregational, UCC in Scotsdale, AZ into my sabbatical itinerary. These are three congregations I've learned about recently that are existing communities doing creative, innovative multi-sensory stuff in worship. It seems a long, multi-stop road trip is in the works and I'm really excited to have found these communities to add to my sabbatical explorations.

One firm commitment I made to myself and to God and to my congregation at the beginning of this journey was to remain open along the way to how the Spirit will move through people and ideas and experiences to show the way. As I continue with this openness, which is contrary to my preferred style of planning things out to the nth degree way in advance, I am receiving wonderful gifts of inspiration and insight. The journey grows even more interesting and I am getting ever more curious about what the Spirit has in store for me and for all of us in the coming days, weeks and years. My seat belt is fastened, I'm ready for the ride!