Thoughts on the Gathering – part 1.

Sometimes products and events can be “over described”.  Our enjoyment and excitement causes us to exaggerate a little:  “That was the most amazing taco ever! Umm…it’s a taco.   The excitement is great, the description is just a little overboard.

And sometimes we do that with church services and church programs.  We don’t intend to – we just enjoy the experience so much that in the moment it feels like the most amazing, most awesome, most impacting, most “wow” thing we’ve been a part of.  And we want others to enjoy it with us.  So we can’t contain our excitement in talking about it – which is a great thing.  But sometimes the description is just a little over the top.

So it can be normal to respond to someone saying “that was the highest level of energy, worship, celebration and community I’ve ever experienced” with a gracious smile and a “wow, that’s great man”, all the while thinking:  That’s nice. You’re excited.  How sweet.

I get all that.

But…. :)

That’s what last night really was.

That really was the highest level of energy, worship, celebration and community I’ve ever experienced.

I’ve never been in a room with Jesus followers that came with as much anticipation and expectation as I saw last night.  Virtually every person in the room was fully-engaged, enjoying the worship of our King and a fully-alive community to belong to.

And isn’t that a huge part of it?  Isn’t the potency of the experience in part driven by the expectation and participation of those there?

I truly don’t know how to describe it. And maybe that’s the point.

So I won’t try.  I’ll just enjoy it. And celebrate that Jesus enjoyed it.  And His church enjoyed it.

But – I know this.  I wouldn’t be able to over describe it.