By Sam Hill, Mosaic Coordinator
Week in and week out: doors opened, people welcomed, songs sung, joys celebrated, struggles grieved, prayers offered, sermons preached, questions discussed, meals shared.
For over three years Mosaic has gathered on Saturday evenings to offer spiritual reprieve from busyness of life. We’ve sought to be both welcoming of newcomers while inwardly aware of God’s work within us. We’ve sought a worship experience that engages folks both emotionally and intellectually. We’ve sought to embrace the goodness found in our traditions while discovering new goodness in life today.
In all of this, Mosaic has offered us a grace-filled glimpse into what it means for Jesus-followers to share life together in a challenging place and time.
Sam Hill, Mosaic Coordinator
But even the most authentic band of disciples is tempted by the structures and strictures that come with “organizational health” and “strategic models”—it’s only natural. It’s easy to forget that worship, beneath the surface, is a simple act of inward listening—the tuning of our senses to the rhythms of God’s grace. It is good, of course, to gather each week to sing, read, pray, discuss, and eat together. But occasionally it is good to step back from the meaningful custom—and just listen.
That’s our plan at Mosaic.
On Saturday, September 24, we will hold our final Mosaic worship service and enter into a new season of reflection and community—asking ourselves, How can First Baptist Church best serve young people in the community? We will continue to pray, share meals, and talk about the challenges and opportunities that come with urban ministry. Soon our congregation will welcome an Associate Pastor of Youth & Outreach to offer fresh insight and creativity.
As we embark on this next leg of the journey, I offer my deepest gratitude to the First Baptist family for its never-ending encouragement of young people and its support for Mosaic. My challenge to us all, especially now, is summed up by Frederick Buechner: “Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace.”