“Come Out Into Deeper Waters” is Tabernacle’s theme for 2019. These are words from Jesus to his disciples in Luke 5 when he beckons them to come out into deeper waters and drop their nets. And when they do, they are amazed at what they catch!

We as disciples of Jesus want to take some time this year to reflect on what it means to wade out into deeper waters. What does it mean to go deeper in our relationship with God and with Jesus? What does it mean to go deeper in our relationship with one another, our neighbors and creation? Where in your life do you want to experience greater depth? Why are deeper waters a prerequisite to fruitfulness? Depth is related to “roots” and the word radical. And so the fruitfulness of our activism may in fact be dependent on the cultivation of our rootedness with/in God.

Going deeper requires vulnerability and courage. Going deeper also means narrowing our focus, doing less with greater care and learning to let go of other projects. And for these reasons and more, it will be a challenge to hear and respond to this call from Jesus.

Council will be looking at ways we as a church can help each other to come out into deeper waters. There will be opportunities to engage in greater depth through small groups, in Sunday worship and through hospitality and engagement outside of our church. So stay tuned for opportunities. 

We will begin exploring this theme during the season of Lent. In our Sunday services we are going to focus on the three temptations that Jesus faced (Luke 4:1-13). Through that powerful story, we will be asked to face our own temptations to be relevant, self-sufficient, spectacular and powerful over others. And we will counter those temptations with a commitment to the practices of prayer, confession, forgiveness, accountability and community. 

I’d love to hear your ideas on this theme. What does it mean to you to hear Jesus’ call to “come out into deeper waters and let down your nets”? Where do you want to experience greater depth in your life? Let me or someone on Council know know your thoughts. 

Peace,

Pastor Katie