Did you know that January is the worst possible time to make a New Year’s Resolution, at least this is true, according to psychologists, for those of us who live in the northern hemisphere of planet Earth.
The reasons January is a bad time to try and make significant or even minor personal changes are multiple. One reason is, that we are all exhausted after Christmas so lack the emotional and physical energy to succeed at new challenges. The dark, cold, and often miserable, weather affects our mood; our mindsets during these winter months can default to let’s hunker down and survive or courie in and get comfy rather than to go boldly and change the world!
The best time to start something new, try something different, take up a new habit, or break a bad habit, is …drum roll please … September.
September.
September is a good time to effect change because, at least in theory, we are rested from our summer holidays, we’ve topped up our vitamin D levels (although that might have been a struggle this year!), our hearts have been gladdened by sunny days and gentler breezes. You get the picture.
Happenstance or Divinely Inspired?
I wonder if you have guessed where I am going with this, the point I’m seeking to make?
As a church, our “Vision Sunday” is not in January, at the start of a calendar year, but is the first Sunday in September.
The reasons why QPBC Vision Sunday is in September and not January are probably lost in the midst of time, but according to psychologists (workplace psychologist Adam Grant springs to mind), we’ve picked the best month to “do vision,” to start something new.
What Vision Sunday is NOT about.
While every year we have Vision Sunday, hopefully, you have noticed that our overarching vision has not changed. Our vision remains Calling Our City to Life. Our three “strategic anchors” through which we seek to be a people who are Calling Our City to Life remain the same: Encountering God; Encouraging Transformational Relationships; and Engaging in Bold Outreach.
So, if this has not changed then why Vision Sunday?
What is Vision Sunday about?
If a vision merely remains a nice slogan or a poster on a wall, then it is worthless. Vision Sunday seeks to articulate how we feel God is leading us as we seek to be obedient to the vision he has given us. Vision Sunday states the priority God has given us for this coming year and practically what this looks like.
Priority
For me, the word priority in the sentence above is important.
In Calling Our City to Life we need to continue what we are already doing. Encountering God in our Sunday services, in times of prayer and fellowship, or in service and, yes, even in our day-to-day work and activity. We continue to Encourage Transformational Relationships through ministry teams, Life Groups, The Gathering, and formal and informal support networks. And we remain committed to Bold Outreach through special events like Transforming Sport on Friday 6th September, engaging in mission on our frontlines, as well as our regular missional activities like Messy Church, Alpha, Park Run Café, ESOL Café, the Well Being Café, the list could go on.
24/7 Witnesses, but to what?
Jesus called us all to be his witnesses. All of us witness all the time, every action, reaction, and interaction we make witnesses to something. The question is who or what. Do our actions, reactions, and interactions witness to Jesus, to his kingdom, or in our everyday actions, reactions, and interactions are we just like everyone else but sometimes we smile?
Grandpa in my bones!
I know I need to be more like Jesus in my actions, reactions, and interactions. As Pete Scazzero often says, “Jesus may be in our hearts, but Grandpa is in our bones”. In other words, despite being passionate about Jesus and about following him, our discipleship has not led us to a place of deep change where Jesus is not just in our hearts but metaphorically in our bones.
Our priority this year is therefore to be a people who go deeper in our discipleship for the sake of Jesus’ mission in the world.
What does this look like?
Starting in September and running through the Autumn our Sunday morning preaching will explore themes around deeper discipleship. We are calling this series, Strengthening the Heart of the Fellowship.
Significantly, we are starting, as I hope you are aware, the QPBC School of Leadership. I did think about calling it a School of Discipleship but that would have given the unfortunate acronym of SoD! I’ll explain more about the School of Leadership on Sunday.
I’d love for everyone to be part of this, but I’m realistic to know that practically this is unlikely to happen. For those who can’t do the school this time around, the Sunday morning themes will be similar yet different to what is covered at the school.
Both Sundays and the school aim to help us be strengthened in Jesus and to grow in healthy discipleship.
Leaky Vessels
It is my prayer that as we intentionally go deeper in our discipleship, as we allow and work with the Spirit of God, that we will be leaky vessels. That emotionally healthy relationships, and deep transformative discipleship, will not be merely themes, buzz words, or courses, but that they become our growing reality and that with this we are leaky.
Yes, leaky …that what God is doing in us will leak from us to positively impact others for the kingdom.
Come, Lord Jesus, work among us, may you be in our bones and not just our hearts, for the sake of your mission in this world. Amen.
Brodie