| In the 1960s, as passengers of the London underground railroad would step from the platform to the subway, or vice versa, a space existed that, if not paid attention to, would cause passengers to fall and be injured, or worst case, to tumble down onto the tracks. So, a saying developed that helped passengers watch their step, and avoid injury and calamity: “Mind the Gap.” That saying was recorded, and announced by a voice that repeatedly echoed in the London Underground over installed loudspeakers (the origin of the voice is an interesting story on its own, feel free to Google it). Similarly, there is a kind of spiritual gap that exists that needs to be “minded.” What is it? In his classic book, Dynamics of Spiritual Life, author Richard Lovelace names that gap. He writes compellingly on what it takes for people and churches to be revived and renewed, and begins by naming the “gap” that Christians fall into. Lovelace calls it: “the Sanctification Gap.” The Sanctification Gap is the gap between what we say we believe, and our actual behavior. The Sanctification Gap is the space between what God wants for us, and where we are now. The Sanctification Gap is the dark place we can fall into apart from paying attention to its existence. How can we mind that “gap”? How can we pay attention to, and overcome, hazardous space in our hearts? Lovelace prescribes two remedies: 1.) An awareness of our sin. He quotes the old Puritan preacher, John Owen, who said, “The vigor and the power of the spiritual life depend upon the mortification (that is, the killing) of sin.”Why this remedy? When we become aware of our lostness, it pushes us to cry out to God for deliverance. 2.) Explosive prayer. “Since the work of the Holy Spirit in lives is intimately related to mission, it is unlikely that we can close the sanctification gap until we approach our mission in this dangerous age with the same fear and trembling, the same prayer to be endued with power from on high, that characterized the first apostles. My prayer is that this urgency will return to all the…church today, and my confidence is that this is already occurring.” I am hungry for more of God in my life, in this church, and in our nation, and I hope you are, too! Our country desperately needs an outpouring of the Holy Spirit that changes lives and reshapes our institutions, and I believe that Mosaic’s multiethnic and multigenerational mission has an irreplaceable part to play in that renewal. So, would you join me and many others, every Friday at 7 am, for “explosive” prayer? We meet on Zoom to pray for God to change us, and change our church. It’s messy, it’s real, it’s authentic. It’s easy to complain about the world, isn’t it? And while there is righteous space for lamenting what we don’t like, I have found a joy that comes from taking my cares to the God who cares for me, with others in this beautiful community we call Mosaic. We are on Zoom, which means you can turn off the camera if your face isn’t prepared to meet the day yet! Hope to see you next Friday at 7, and if it’s been awhile, hop back on. Let’s pray and believe together. Morgan Stephens, DMin Lead Pastor |
