By Greg Yee, Superintendent, PacNWC
Any growing relationship involves healthy and regular communication. We all know both the pain of relationships plagued by broken communication and the joys of ones where communication is effortlessly life-giving. From stories around the conference this month I want to prompt us around communication, or more specifically, engagement: first with each other and secondly with God.
One of the most heart-wrenching things to witness in these days of intense national polarization, is to see the world’s relational impulses and ways living in the church. It is tragic to see how communication has broken down not just in society but with followers of Christ.
Too often, we have engaged in one-way relationships on social media starving ourselves with these deceitful crumbs. We’ve repelled from face-to-face or even voice-to-voice connections. We’ve pulled away from the intimacy and strength of sitting down together. We’ve lost the ability to dialogue and have settled for shallow posts. We think we are diving into deep waters but actually are only running in mere puddles. We’re quick to judge and put each other in social boxes. We’re quick to walk away from each other. In this unnatural space as Christ followers and ambassadors of reconciliation, we’ve allowed the enemy to devour us.1
In these polarized and divisive days, we need to do better. We need to not settle for the cheap stuff. We need to stop living on fast food. Friends, I implore you to invest in healthy and regular communication; to engage each other. Take a moment to reflect on where relationships are challenging and consider what you can initiate and be responsible for.
What’s the valuable stickier stuff you can invest in that moves past ineffective electronic communication and face each other as God intends? How can we enter those conversations in a spirit of humility and teachability (good moment to read aloud the Fruit of the Spirit and 1 Cor 13!)? What relationships are showing some tension where, like Christ, you can initiate engagement? Take a moment to reflect on who the Spirit is guiding you to reach out to.
How’s communication with God going for you?
I’m encouraged by how so many of you chose to start 2021 around a concerted prayer focus. I’m inspired by how some of you have prayer gatherings, some daily, online. My heart warms hearing about the prayer walks you’ve done in your neighborhoods and the drive through prayer opportunities you’ve provided. I love when my staff prays together and I love that each of us separately calendar prayer into the team calendar every week. We want to take seriously the work of prayer.
It was centering for me during the Covenant’s week of prayer last month as they sent out breath prayers and provided THIS wonderful guide. Here’s one sample that helped me one day when peace and hope was scarce:
- CENTER your body and mind to be with Jesus.
- THINK where you have a need for the hope of new life.
- SLOWLY INHALE, “Jesus, resurrection and life.”
- SLOWLY EXHALE, “Resurrect hope today.”
- REPEAT the breath prayer until you feel Jesus’s peace.
- LOOK AND LISTEN for ways Jesus is resurrecting hope and new life.
Next quarter we’ll focus on prayer. But even this quarter as we focus on evangelism and specifically BLESS, we Begin With Prayer as we step into our ministry with/to those around us.
Prayer is God’s work too. Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father and praying for us right now. And the Holy Spirit is joining with us in prayer, especially when we are overwhelmed and without words.2 Yes, there have been so many moments this year that we’ve struggled for words. Lord, help us pray; pray for us!
My burden is to push us toward more prayer. I urge you to literally pray more: longer prayers, in more settings, program and schedule more, with more people in more places…more prayer!
So, I’m tying engagement with each other and with God together because I’m landing on this challenging verse in James.
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.3
After a year of learning to be separate from each other, I feel the deep need we have to move closer. In all of our societal fragmentation, I cry out for our healing. And in my moments of desperation and despair I pray for God’s supernatural intervention.
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people.4
- 1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10
- Romans 8:26-27, 34
- James 5:16
- Ephesians 1:18