The First Celebration Dinner

Last night Missio Lux stepped into new territory. We took our once a month worship service and turned it into a dinner in our home. It was a dinner with no agenda other than to make space for relationship: with one another, with God, and with those in our lives who are hungry to experience what we are authentically living.

I prayed about what to do before the meal and this is what I was given: throw your nets over to the other side of the boat. Remember Jesus standing on the beach after his resurrection asking his disciples if they had caught any fish during their long night of frustrating fishing.

They hadn't. God doesn't bless us when we try to go backward in our lives when he has shown us a new and living way. He wasn't blessing our Celebration Services because they looked like every other church service. It seems he wanted us to take our hands off of the plans and let him lead the agenda.

I asked a simple question before the meal: "Do you have a celebration to share from this week?" It was such a gift because the first one to answer was a 7 year old boy who was the
Student of the Week. It went from child to child as each one answered spontaneously the good things that happened in their week. Then, a couple of teens shared their experiences. I was thrillled, how simple for the family of God to be loving one another in the real places of our lives.

Our last celebration was one that will forever change us as people. It was from a very successful businessman about his transformation to becoming an authentic Jesus follower. He encountered some very challenging darkness and through it the Lord came through shining his light and offering his invitation to LIVE!

He was able to tell his story in all its rawness and the community was able to embrace him, celebrate his new life and to ask him about it through the night.

We are at a point in our lives of following Jesus that we are openly praying for one another. One man is starting a new job on Wednesday and we spontaneously gathered around him and prayed for his new start.

When people began to leave, many of them said, "I could bring my work friend here." Or, my favorite, "This is a church that I can get excited about."

And, you know what, I agree!