Finding Flow

It's been a beautiful weekend here in Central New York. Yesterday afternoon, my wife and I wandered around a place called Aspenols, which is filled with plants and trees, looking to add something to our garden.

And in those moments of life, which we all desire, there's a sense of energy, a sense of flow, and it feels like we are part of a good energy—something big and beautiful.

There are lots of other days, though, where life feels much more like a grind. The world feels flat, and we feel stuck. But I think all of us want to figure out how to connect to that good energy, to that flow.

One of the things we learn in the book of Acts is that Jesus is the Lord of all. So when we're connecting to that good energy, to that flow, we're actually connecting to Christ.

While you and I have days in which we feel stuck, where life feels like a grind and we feel all this pressure, what we need to remember is how to connect to God's flow. The story we look at today in Acts 10, where the church expands to include the Romans and the Gentiles, gives us three things to look for when we're trying to connect to that flow.

First, we want to seek resonance. Second, we want to anchor to the basics. Third, we want to expect to be surprised.

The story in Acts 10 unfolds around an Italian officer named Cornelius. He's a really great guy—a man of high character who cares for others and for the poor. He's a person of faith, and while praying, Jesus shows up to him in a vision and says, “I need you to call Peter.”

Peter comes, but at this point he is still somewhat close-minded. He doesn't yet realize that what God is doing through Christ is for the whole world, not just for the Jewish nation. As Peter engages and God begins to work, offering the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, we see the church grow from a primarily Jewish circle into one that encompasses the whole world.

The message is simple: God is for everyone.

So when we think about those days when we're stuck, we want to do these three things: seek resonance, anchor to the basics, and expect to be surprised.

Seeking resonance means noticing where God's kingdom is already at work. Cornelius is a man resonating with God's kingdom. In Mark, Jesus tells someone that they are near the kingdom of God. There's a reality that when we look around the world, we can see places that resonate with God's kingdom.

The book Theo of Golden, which inspires our next series, is something I think resonates with God's kingdom. Even a show like Ted Lasso can carry that resonance by depicting character and faith. Maybe not every part resonates, but some parts do.

When we're looking to get unstuck and relieve some of that pressure, we want to look for people and movements that resonate with God. How do we grab hold of that flow?

So let me ask you: where do you see that resonance right now?

It might show up in a surprising place. Maybe it's someone you're working with or someone in your school or neighborhood. Recognize that this may be one of the ways you can connect to God's flow and experience that sense of hope and energy.

The second point is anchoring to the basics.

The world operates by all kinds of standards. Whether it's music, sports, or cooking, there are underlying principles that, once mastered, create flexibility and freedom.

I write many of my sermons while listening to live Dave Matthews Band shows or Dead and Company. One reason I love listening to them is that every show is different. They have mastered the standards and basics of music, which allows them to be creative and flourish.

I'm also a huge Knicks fan, and I'm excited for the Knicks to be in the NBA Finals after 27 years. One of the things that makes Jalen Brunson so effective is that he has mastered his footwork and fundamentals. Those basics allow him to move creatively and effectively.

The same is true for cooking. Searing, braising, and learning the basics of making a sauce give you skills that allow you to create a variety of dishes.

What we see in Acts 10 is Peter outlining the core basics of the Christian faith: Jesus is the Son of God who came, lived, died, resurrected, and is Lord of all. He promises to return and bring restoration to all creation.

For you and me, connecting to God's flow means connecting to those basics—Jesus' life, Jesus' death, Jesus' resurrection, and the future hope he promises.

That can look like a variety of things.

When we think about Jesus' life, we remember how he celebrated by turning water into wine to keep a wedding going. We think about the way he was present with people, how he brought care, freedom, and healing, and how he helped people connect to community.

If we want to connect to God's flow, we want to do those kinds of things.

When we think about connecting through Jesus' death, we grab hold of the mindset Paul talks about in Philippians 2. We become willing to serve, to sacrifice, and to die to ourselves. We learn that there are parts of us that must surrender.

And through Jesus' resurrection, we look for places where restoration and new life are happening. We want to participate in those things.

So let me ask you: when you think about your life and your desire to connect to that movement and flow, where might anchoring to the basics of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection help you?

The last thing we see is that we should expect to be surprised.

Peter is surprised. Cornelius is surprised. Everyone involved is surprised because what God is doing through the Holy Spirit, through Christ, and through the apostles is that the whole world is catching fire with faith in Christ.

Peter is surprised that someone like Cornelius would be part of God's kingdom.

I think one of the things that happens when we feel stuck and pressured is that we lose our ability to be surprised.

Yet when I think about Grace Community as a church, there have been so many wonderful surprises within our community. It is sincerely and truly a place made up of people with different perspectives, while still holding tightly to the basics of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

People are open-handed about much of the rest, and the ways people have experienced connection, community, and restored relationships are beautiful to witness.

All of us have moments in life when we've been surprised.

So if we want to connect to that flow, we must reconnect with our willingness to be surprised.

Where have you been surprised? Where has God surprised you with grace or compassion, or where have you seen movement in someone else's life?

All of those moments remind us that the world is not flat, that we are not stuck, and that life is not only pressure. There is beauty and goodness ahead.

God is at work. There is a flow we can align our lives with through character, prayer, and God's action in the world. And we too can find the energy and flow we're longing for.

I hope you've enjoyed this series on Acts. It's been meaningful for us, and I look forward to the next series on Theo of Golden.

We'll talk to you soon. Take care.