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Leaning into the Mess this Advent
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This year our family did something new when it came to decorating for Christmas....
We are coming off of another wonderful time together at the National Gathering in Atlanta and we are so grateful to all of you who came and brought your church teams, spouses, covenant partners (and even families)!
In Atlanta, I spoke about five commitments we must embrace if we are to participate in what the Lord may be doing in our nation. You can revisit that message here.
Those five commitments are:
- Extraordinary Prayer and Fasting
- Equip the Saints
- Engage the Culture with Compassion and Courage
- Embody Whole Life Discipleship
- Expand by Organizing for Movement
One challenge in my role in ECO is taking those rare moments when I address the whole body and integrating those themes throughout the year. I want to be more intentional about integrating these five commitments in this current season. So we begin with the first commitment, extraordinary prayer and fasting. It is fitting that we start here during Lent, because this commitment is foundational to everything else.
Throughout Scripture, decisive movements of God are preceded by decisive prayer. During Lent, we remember Jesus spending forty days in prayer and fasting. In Acts 1, the 120 gathered in constant prayer before the day of Pentecost. In Acts 13, the church was worshiping and fasting when the Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas for missionary expansion. In Mark 9, when the disciples failed to cast out a demon, Jesus told them that this kind comes out only through prayer. And in Esther 4:16, before approaching the king at great personal risk, Esther called for a three day corporate fast so that God would be at work.
With such examples before us, we must be careful not to treat prayer and fasting as spiritual techniques that earn God’s intervention. The opposite is true. Scripture consistently reminds us that it is only through the Lord’s grace and power that supernatural movement occurs. Prayer and fasting do not manipulate God. They humble us. They position us in dependence. They remind us that the work belongs to Him.
It is worth noting that much of the vibrant expansion of the gospel today is occurring in contexts where leaders readily acknowledge their dependence on the power of God. In many parts of the world, prayer and fasting are not peripheral practices but central rhythms. We would do well to recover that posture of reliance.
So what might extraordinary prayer and fasting look like for us in ECO?
First, personal rhythms. Some set a daily alarm at 10:02 based on Luke 10:2 to pray earnestly for the Lord of the harvest to send workers. I am using a similar reminder at a different time of day. Others may choose a weekly fast or intentional seasons of prayer. The specific form matters less than the intentionality of dependence.
Second, churchwide rhythms. I was encouraged to see Highland Park Presbyterian Church in Dallas call their congregation to prayer and fasting every Wednesday for six weeks between when they called their new senior pastor, Thomas Daniel, and when he arrived on staff. That kind of corporate seeking shapes a congregation’s heart before it shapes its future.
Third, denominational rhythms. We have provided a Lent devotional to serve you in this season. We did not want to overload churches with additional initiatives during Lent, trusting local leadership to discern what is appropriate. At the same time, we are exploring ways to call our entire denomination to focused seasons of prayer and fasting in the future. I encourage you to watch for those opportunities and to participate wholeheartedly.
If we desire renewal, multiplication, and movement, we must begin where Scripture begins – with surrender and abiding dependence on Jesus..
I look forward to seeing the Lord deepen our collective reliance on Him in this season.
In Christ,
Dana
