Jan 27 2008
shouting scripture 2
Tonight was our foot-washing service, sponsored by the Small Groups Ministry. It is part of a new focus in the small group ministry at Mountain. We are trying to pay attention to spiritual formation first and training second. It isn’t that we have abandoned the value of training. In fact in a sense we value it more than ever.
However, we have come to the conclusion that trying to train outside of the context of spiritual formation will not create the results God desires. If we focus on spiritual formation, we are convinced that the leaders will naturally desire and seek out the training they need to serve more effectively. Our first formation event focused on the nature of Christian leadership: service.
It was a beautiful and powerful service. It was also the setting for an experiment in scripture reading that I have been wanting to pursue for some time. Our songs of praise were psalms of praise, with no music. I gave a short introduction and encouraged them to join me in reading scripture in a way that broke our mold of subdued mumbling. And we did.
We shouted scripture. It was wonderful. I wish I had a recording. Even more, I am eager for an opportunity to worship in that way again.
on the walk
-Ethan
