Reflections on the Great Banquet

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Written by Jen Evans Jen Evans

In a recent sermon, I shared how the Spirit was evident and visible to me during my Great Banquet weekend.  The Spirit was untamed and clearly calling our church forward to move into action.  My experience was different - and also meaningful.  The Banquet is not the same as it used to be.  Was my experience like many of yours?  Probably not.  Was my experience a reflection of how the Banquet was intended to speak when it was created?  After lots of listening - no.  Has the Spirit used the Banquet in the current form?  Yes.  You all experienced that in the worship service following my Banquet weekend.

Many of you know that I like my calendar, my notebook or planner, my water bottle, and my pens.  Luckily, I got to keep some of those life staples at the Banquet - my water bottle, notebook, and pen.  While I didn't have my calendar, I had enough of my essentials to bring some relaxation.  I'm sure you aren't surprised that I loved the regimen of the Banquet schedule as it kept things moving.  We didn't stay with a particular topic or experience long, unless it was a time of introspection and listening for God's voice.  In a world that is nonstop and busy, and where the expectation of constantly being busy is affirmed, we "guests" were unable to control the schedule.  Nor did we have any awareness of the length of an allotted time.  It was oddly comforting to know that I was not in charge of my own schedule for a while, and all of you extended grace for the things that didn't get done around the office.  It was a gift to me to receive this grace, as well as several others.

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