(Formational Practices: Marking Time Sermon)
Introduction
Everyone instinctively marks time—that is, we order our lives around various stories that give meaning to life and hope to our longings. (See part 1 of marking time.) It could be around significant family events, cultural traditions, national holidays. Or it could be around celebrating business successes (i.e. celebrating quarterly sales) or child raising achievements (i.e. birthdays, graduations, etc.). We mark time around the stories that have marked us.
As Christians, we know the greatest story of all—namely, God entered our space and time in order to undo all the pain, sadness, disease, and distress through Jesus. How marvelous that we get to remember and celebrate the beauty of this cosmic story of redemption!
Yet the question is always "how?". The following are some practical postures for marking time around the redeeming narrative of Jesus and inviting the Holy Spirit to work his grace into the depths of your being.
“When we submit our lives to what we read in Scripture, we find that we are not being led to see God in our stories but our stories in God's. God is the larger context and plot in which our stories find themselves.”
Eugene Peterson
Sabbath & Worship
We've already taken a deep dive into sabbath, but to put it simply: practicing a sabbath is the most foundational way to mark time around the story of God. (You can find a really helpful tool for preparing to sabbath well.)
We also have a weekly rhythm of corporate worship where we remember together through song, sermon, and sacrament the covenant grace of God. As we walk through the liturgy, we relive the story of redemption and rehearse to ourselves and one another that no matter the circumstances, God will lead us back into fellowship with him at his table of grace.
As you ponder the following quote from Jaimie Smith, consider how the simple weekly rhythms of sabbath and worship might provide alternative formational routines that shape you by the story of God.
"So the question is, are there habits and practices that we acquire without knowing it? Are there ritual forces in our culture that we perhaps naively immerse ourselves in—and are thus formed by—that, when we consider them more closely, are pointed at some ultimate end? Are there mundane routines that we participate in that, if we are attentive, function as thick practices aimed at a particular vision of the good life?”
—Jaimie Smith
The Christian Year
The Christian calendar is meant to follow the life and mission of Jesus in the course of one year. It highlights the key aspects of his ministry and like a prism, refracts his character that we may more easily have a full grasp of who Christ is.
If we generated a few ideas for marking time by embodying these seasons in the church, what might it look like?
For example, what if you throw a dance party on Pentecost to celebrate the joy of the Spirit's work among us?
What if for Lent, every day you write one word describing an aspect of your sin or shame on a rock and place it in a backpack. And then on Good Friday, you take that burdensome bag to the lake and throw all the rocks into the water?
TRY ON: Consider the following seasons and brainstorm some embodied practices that would genuinely help you feel the truth of Christ in that season. (Feel free think of something brand new or draw upon ideas you've heard or found.) See if you can find one meaningful practice for each season.
- ADVENT. A season of anticipating the coming of Christ. It recognizes our groans and longings, but points us to the promises of God.
- CHRISTMASTIDE. A 12 day season celebrating the coming of Jesus. God is with us, "Immanuel."
- EPIPHANY. A season of revelation—that Jesus went out into the world to the unnoticed, unwanted, and foreign.
- LENT. A season of preparation and reflection. As Jesus suffered innocently on our behalf, we pause to consider our culpability as we move towards the cross of Good Friday.
- EASTERTIDE. A season of joyous celebration in the grand hope that Jesus brings new life to cemeteries and hope to the world!
- PENTECOST. A day delighting in the gift of the Holy Spirit to carry the redeeming work of Jesus to every corner of the world.
In the end, the goal isn't to create some empty religious duties divorced from your heart but rather some helpful practices that posture your heart to feel and believe what is true about God.
RESOURCE: Living the Christian Year is a great intro to the Christian year with readable explanations and some simple devotionals for each season. Let's be honest: most of us are rather daunted by the idea of the church calendar. Thankfully, Gross writes in a very accessible way that makes it easy to see beauty and joy available through this practice.
Redemption Parties
It's great to have weekly and annual rhythms that have a natural and expected pattern of following the redeeming life of Jesus. And at the same time, the work of God in you doesn't follow that calendar. He's at work in your life right now and there's not one shattered part of your story that Jesus is not redeeming. So how do you pause to see it and celebrate it?
What if you received an invitation that said: “Join me in celebrating how I no longer believe I’m worthless?” Or “join me in celebrating how I’m no longer angry at my dad but by God’s grace I’ve forgiven him." You would doubtless be there for that friend.
When God brings good and meaningful change to the most broken pieces of your story, it is worth celebrating—especially with those who love you.
DREAM IN ADVANCE: So here's a little exercise to premeditate on what this could be like for you. Think through or write out your responses to the following blocks.
Block 1 — What are the tied up things, the tensions, longings, or sadness you presently experience? Put another way: what is the stain of sin you long for God to remove from your life?
Block 2 — Where have you seen God’s faithfulness in your life? What gives you hope that God is real? How does communion or worship, advent or Christmas give you hope?
Block 3 — How would you mark time if God redeemed those items in block 1? (Ex: getting off depression meds; talking with a family member you haven’t spoken to in 6 years; learning to control your anger or your tongue; etc.) Who would you invite to celebrate with you? What would help you enter into the joy of this redemptive experience?
“{We need} a respite that calls us to stop the journey for a brief interlude — to eat, drink, sing, dance, and tell our story to others.”
Dan Allender
