Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

1 Corinthians 2:12-13 (NRSV)

The Human Machine

I recently reminded folks that when a piece of technology isn’t working, one of the first things we try is to turn it off and turn it on again. This seemingly counter-intuitive maneuver is very helpful in making things run. Clear the cache. Reset. Prepare for new material. The bad news is, you have to take a breath and turn it off and not use it for a while. The good news is, once it resets, you can get back to work.

What if we needed the same thing every so often? Every pastor or academic who’s ever taken a sabbatical and told someone else about it is met with the same bon mot. “Wow, gee,” they say, shaking their heads wistfully, “I wish I had a sabbatical!” I always agree. I wish you did too! An interesting life is one that has a mix of stability and chaos. Turning off and turning on again can be the key to a great reset and rejuvenation.

The Same Goes for the Spiritual Life:

Sometimes we get in a spiritual rut and need a reset. The good news is, you’ve already gotten to turn off and take a break! People have been staying away from church in droves. They’ve felt the equivalent of a real reset, losing their connections to worship, to fellowship, and to outreach. Now, it’s time to hit the switch to reconnect!

We began this past week with the first sermon of a six-week series, Reconnecting with Faith. It started with the story of Jesus in the wilderness. I requested we “Reconnect with Spirituality,” by adopting simple prayers suggested by author Anne Lamott in her book Help, Thanks, Wow.

On March 13th, we’ll “Reconnect with Love” through the passage where God promises a multitude of descendants to Abram and Sarai. After that, we’ll “Reconnect with Community” on March 20th, using parables and exhortations from Jesus to understand our place both geographically and spiritually. March 27th we’ll “Reconnect with Creativity” using one of the great narratives in all of scripture: the story of The Prodigal Son. Then April 3rd we’ll “Reconnect with Tolerance” through the urgent messages in the book of Philippians about perseverance in the face of adversity. Finally, April 10th we’ll attempt to “Reconnect with Hunger,” discovering what drives us and what we can’t do without. We’ll use the story of Palm Sunday to bring this idea alive.

No One Can Give You Spirituality: You Have to TAKE IT!

“Being assertive” is asking for what you want or need. Humans live on both the physical and the spiritual planes. You need spirituality to feel fulfilled, and Pilgrim Church is all about helping you find it. Once found, it’s like ripe fruit waiting to be plucked: you have to take it for yourself! Neither I nor anyone else can provide access to that dimension. It’s up to you.

I hope pyou’ll join us in worship or online for this six-part series. I hope by the end of it, you’ll be able to identify as spiritual…and religious, with all the benefits that entails. The world is wailing around us. Nations are at war. We need to navigate the next stage of Covid. And through it all, your spirit desires (maybe even demands) a reset. You’ve had the break, you’ve powered down. Now let’s power up together as we Reconnect with Faith at Pilgrim Church in Southborough!