Experiencing God Beyond the Weekend
I happen to be one of the pastors at Granger Community Church, but if I weren't, it would still be my church. My spiritual transformation and experience of God is wrapped up in the community and experiences in this group of people.
Every weekend is phenomenal at Granger Community Church. Still, I didn't expect what I experienced this past weekend. 4th of July weekend. It's a celebration weekend. A time for gratitude, hope and sober reflection. I didn't realize how impactful the service was on me until the very end. Every element had been appropriate and moving for many. From Mark Beeson's setup of the service and pledge, to the gripping media, drama, song arts piece, to Stephen Mansfield's hope-filled message ... it was all good.
Then we sang a song I wasn't sure even fit in the service. But "God of this City" punctuated every moment in the service for me.
- Our one hope is the Spirit of God moving his people to live out the kingdom freely and openly, bringing the love of Jesus into a broken, hope-hungry people.
- Our area is still filled with thousands of people who don't know they matter. Their concerns at the gas pump, the housing market, the future of their kids really matter. That God wants to be Lord of their daily, coming and going live matters even more.
- We're preparing to launch our first multi-site just a few miles east of our campus this fall. We'll extend our reach into the "city".
- I'm giving my life to see people submit their one and only life to joining God's agenda to restore and re-create heaven and earth.
I experienced the nearness, the wonder, the Lordship of Jesus this weekend with the flag flying high, Martin Luther King on the big screen, and Jesus lifted up as the hope of the world.
I listened to the song, God of the City, today on my Zune - in my office, in the car... and I experienced the wonder of the weekend moment all over again. I experienced God.
It's the kind of experience many others had throughout the service. It's the kind of moment we're praying for in every weekend. We want people to connect experientially with a relevant God.
