New Beginnings // M-Note 4.10.2021

Easter always has me thinking about beginnings and endings. You’ve heard the now cliché, “when one door closes another one opens”. It may be overused, but it is the essence of Easter. That the death of something can lead to something powerfully new. Jesus put it this way:
 
I assure you that unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it can only be a single seed. But if it dies, it bears much fruit. (John 12.24)
 
This past week marked a symbolic ending for The Gathering. Yesterday we officially closed on the sale of our original site on McCausland. Though we moved out of that building over 2 years ago, the sale yesterday was the final goodbye to a facility that served us well over the years. For those of us who have been around the church for a long time, we likely have some important memories that are attached to that space. The good news is that another church purchased it and it will remain dedicated to ministry.
 
A few people have asked me how I feel about the sale. I say this with immense gratitude for that building, but I feel excited. The church has never been a building. The pandemic taught us very clearly that the church transcends any of our three physical locations. Yes, these spaces are meaningful and important as they help us to reach people, but the church is so much more. And sometimes, in their love for their building, churches can forget their true mission and identity.
 
Our mission is to invite new people to become deeply committed followers of Jesus. Our identity is a community of people seeking Jesus together. One door may have closed this past week, but I am excited because this weekend, a new chapter begins. This Sunday we are beginning in-person worship for the first time in over a year. While I cannot predict what the future holds, I do have the firm belief that the best days for The Gathering are ahead, and this new chapter will be full of surprises, blessings, and new mountain top moments for all of us. Your own life will be full of endings. But don’t forget that unless we get good at saying goodbye, we won’t get to see the new things God is preparing for us.

Before we go, thank you to everyone who joined The Gathering for Easter last weekend. I will be celebrating some highlights of the day in worship. Have a great weekend and I will see you Sunday, whether online or in-person!
 
Peace,
 
Matt
 
p.s. This weekend I am beginning a new series entitled Finding God in the Mess. We will be learning about the story of the prophet Elijah and his knack for finding God in all the ups and downs of his life. As much as we wish our lives would go according to plan, the truth is they are often a hot mess. But this is exactly where God shows up, and where we can experience God most profoundly. I hope you will plan on joining me for this series and chances are you have a friend who needs to hear this, too! Invite them to join you by sharing our live service at live.gatheringnow.org, Facebook or better yet, text or email them a personal invite.