Sunday, August 12, 2018, 12:00 AM - Sunday, November 25, 2018, 12:00 AM
Join us for the Following a Jesus Rhythm of Life sermon series at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays. You can listen to sermons here once recordings are posted.
Most of us are getting slammed by our schedules our own expectations, and the expectations of others. Rather than experiencing life as a gift that flows from the love of God, life often feels more like a bucking bull and we’re just doing our best to hold on! God invites us to rest in him, but our lives sure don’t feel very restful! “That’s just life!” we say with a shrug. But does it have to be this way?
Jesus lives a very full and impactful life, but never seems to get jerked around in the same ways we do. As Jesus’ disciples, can we learn anything from Jesus’ rhythm of life? We might begin to notice that the words “ discipleship” and “discipline” are awfully similar. But we don’t like discipline! Discipline sounds like the opposite of freedom - which is what we want. But I guess I have to ask: how’s all that undisciplined freedom working out for us? I know that I’ve found when I live with unrestrained, undisciplined freedom – I tend to make a mess of my life and the lives of those around me.
Henri Nouwen identifies three disciplines in the life that Jesus that every disciple can follow: solitude, community, and ministry. Luke 6:12-19 shows an amazing portrait of Jesus following the rhythm of these disciplines throughout the course of one day. Jesus begins the day spending time with God alone (solitude), then building a community of like-minded people to support his life (community), and finally offering healing power to the world (ministry).
Jesus lives from the inside out. And I’d argue that Jesus is the freest person who ever walked the earth. Free to follow God’s will, free to love others, and free to follow his own mission. Often, we try to do things from the outside in, which can lead to feelings of burn-out, loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and despair. Where are you? Are you feeling worn-out, beat up, overwhelmed, and exhausted? What about trying the Jesus rhythm of solitude, community, and ministry?