Today marks one week since the end of Animate 2019, a summer worship arts experience for teens and their adult mentors on the campus of Samford University. Preparing for Animate is a year-round effort for those of us who work in the Center for Worship of the Arts, so finally seeing it all come to life—literally become animated—was, understandably, a mountaintop spiritual experience. We prayed and worked and worked and prayed and thought and prayed and planned and worked and prayed and prayed and prayed some more; then we experienced the awesome grandeur of God’s incredible blessing of our feeble human efforts as the Holy Spirit infused the events of the week with blessing upon blessing upon blessing.

Maybe you’ve had a similar experience, whether as a leader or participant. For you maybe it was a mission trip or a choir tour, or maybe a vacation or other beautifully blessed family event. I’d be willing to bet that you know what it’s like to experience an extraordinary outpouring of God’s power and loving-kindness during a unique season of life.

And then it’s over. Suddenly the season during which your soul soared to new heights is over, and you’re back to your mundane, everyday, regular ol’ life. We’re told in Hebrews 13:8 that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” so what has changed?

The theme for Animate 2019 was Rooted, taken from Colossians 2:6-7. “So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him. Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith, and overflow with thanksgiving just as you were taught.” Could the secret to having continual closeness with the Father, never-ending mountain-top views, be as simple as remaining rooted in Christ and growing in Him by the power of the Holy Spirit? If so, then what does that look like during the regular, less eventful seasons of our lives?

“So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him…”

What was it about the “mountaintop experience” that helped you live in the power and presence of Christ Jesus? For us during Animate, it was daily worship, consistent reading of scripture, singing praises to the Lord, reflecting with other believers about the things God was teaching us, and using our gifts and talents to help others worship God, too. During other less structured seasons of spiritual highs, perhaps the catalyst was simply slowing down and recognizing the power of God at work around you. “Be still and know that I am God.” What is keeping us from continuing to live in Christ Jesus in these same ways? _________________________________? “So live in Christ Jesus the Lord in the same way as you received him…”

“Be rooted and built up in him, be established in faith…”

In the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13, the seed fell in various places, but only the seed which fell on good soil remained rooted and produced a crop. God alone can make our soil good and able to produce lasting fruit, and that only through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. As we confess our sins and trust the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, God is “faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) Jesus is the key to deep rootedness and continuing growth as believers. It’s easy to become distracted by the bright, shiny glitz of short-term energetic spiritual events, and think those are the only times we experience God at work in our lives. The better way is for these short-term experiences to serve as exclamation points throughout the narrative of our spiritual lives. The secret of successful everyday saints is a consistent, daily walk with the Lord. “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” (John 15:4) Daily communion with God through prayer and Bible reading is key to being truly deeply “rooted and built up in him,” and “established in faith.”

“…overflow with thanksgiving, just as you were taught.”

Maybe it’s just me, but thanksgiving just doesn’t come easily. Even when I’m walking daily with the Lord, the temptations abound to look around and see the problems and challenges of this world instead of the blessings. When my children were younger and sometimes prone to complaining, I remember telling them to “train your brain” to see the good. The older I get, the more I realize I need to take my own advice! God’s good gifts are all around us. As we pause to acknowledge and give thanks for them, we realize that no problem or challenge we face is greater than the God we serve.   So let’s intentionally “…overflow with thanksgiving, just as [we] were taught.”

 

I am weak but Thou art strong

Jesus, keep my from all wrong;

I’ll be satisfied as long

As I walk, let me walk close to Thee.

 

Just a closer walk with Thee;

Grant it, Jesus, is my plea;

Daily walking close to Thee,

Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.

 

-Anonymous

 

*Communion tablecloth artwork created by Dr. Maria Fee.