twenty-three

As I promised, here are a few photos from our first Sabbath gathering a couple weeks ago. The lighting was pretty low, so some of the photos were pretty blurry, but hopefully this give a good impression of what it was like. I’ve included some brief descriptions of the the different stations as well, so as to explain some of what went on. Enjoy.

Students were asked to enter quietly and spend time quieting their hearts and prepare for the evening. The service is meant to be something we all participate in as a community, so removing outside distractions was an important piece of starting the evening.

Through the night, we continued our regular routine of having a music team lead everyone in worship, while at the same time students were invited to move about the room, stopping at different stations, and finding reflective space around the sanctuary to sing, pray, and respond to God.

The theme of the evening was "Leaving Behind, Going Towards". Students had 6 different "spaces" around the room to reflect on the concept of leaving home, leaving pieces of life behind, and transitioning into this new year, with their hopes, fears, and prayers for where God is leading them. The station above had couches for students to sit, rest, and read on. We printed off excerpts from one of my favorite book passages, the author’s note from Don Miller’s "Through Painted Deserts", which is all about leaving, going forward, following God’s direction for the next chapter of your life. You can read it here.

As we reflected on where God was leading each of us this year, we asked students to think about the people who have influenced their lives, making up what Hebrews 12 describes as a "cloud of witnesses" for our faith. Writing those names on note cards and pinning them to a bulletin board, students developed a cloud of cards filled with names, pictures, and stories of people who have been faithful to them along the way, living by faith, moving in the direction God has led them.

We have had very positive response to the first run at the Sabbath program and I’m excited for the year ahead with this. I’m getting together with students next to talk about creative ideas for the upcoming gatherings and get them involved. It seems this has hit a chord with students and so we press on in developing a space for response, reflection, and worship that our community can be active in.

Interested? In the area? Join us at 10pm on Nov. 2 at First Presbyterian Church of Bellingham.

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