The Mayflower & Harbinger's Commencement

A few days ago I was thinking about how the first settlers came to the northeastern United States. I remembered the ship, the Mayflower, which carried an early group of pilgrims seeking religious liberty into the new world. I began to wonder what had happened to that ship. As I researched it I discovered some interesting details. The Mayflower, anchored at Cape Cod in early November 1620 after a two month journey across the Atlantic. Those who had survived the journey explored the snow-covered area and decided to remain on the ship through the winter. When spring emerged there were only 53 survivors, half of the original passengers and crew. Those who had endured the trans-Atlantic journey and the long winter left the Mayflower in March to establish Plymouth Colony. Less than a month later the vessel left port to return to England where it arrived in May, 1621. While the exact path the Mayflower took from that point cannot be proven it seems that the ship was dismantled and the lumber then used to build a barn in England now known as the Mayflower barn.

The account of the Mayflower provides us with a unique picture of one of the ways that God will use people, places and other instruments as vehicles to carry people to their destiny. For one fall and winter the Mayflower was one such vessel. It helped to carry a group of visionaries toward their dream and in doing so helped to change the history of the world. While it played a vital role in the development of the northeastern United States, when the passengers left the boat early in the spring of 1621, its role changed. Within a few years the same timbers that had sliced across the Atlantic and provided refuge for the Pilgrims were dismantled and used to build a different structure.

Similarly our role at Harbinger has been to embark on a journey into something new and different. We have done that. Lancaster City has been the birthplace for us. While we have faced some difficulties and known the frustration of trying to birth something new, it is also clear that we are a success in the eyes of God. He has worked carefully among us to raise up a group that would honor those who have come before us without sacrificing our own calling to see change come to the Body of Christ. Like those on the Mayflower that first winter we have discovered a precious reality - at times simply surviving is victorious!

After enduring that winter the passengers left that ship behind and while it likely always carried a special place in their hearts they would never again return to it. Their destiny was no longer dependent upon the ship which had carried them there - instead their destiny lie directly ahead of them in the choices they would now make with the liberty they had been given. Likewise it is now time for us to move from the ship which has carried us to this place. It is time to step into the destiny which is before us. For many of us that will mean moving geographically into new regions of this nation and the world as we step out and embrace the liberty we have fought hard to obtain during the last two years. Some will choose to remain in Lancaster and search out their role in the ongoing development of this city. Regardless of whether you know that you are moving or you know that you are staying or even if you don't know what you are going to do many questions emerge...what about the community? Is house of prayer going to continue? What about the fourth floor of the Prince Street building? What did the last three years mean? These are valid questions to grapple with but they are not too overwhelming to deal with. I want to charge you not to panic or submit yourself to fear. Instead I will remind you of a word given to me during the fall of 2005, when I was personally facing what felt like overwhelming circumstances, far beyond my own ability to solve. I was waiting at the altar at Life Center for ministry. I wanted to know what to do. I wanted a word telling me I was right where I was supposed to be. As the pastor approached me he laid hands on me and began to laugh as he moved to the next person. The only phrase he spoke over me that morning was, "There is a lot more in there then you think..." I knew it was God and moved quickly beyond my offense. God knows what He is doing with us just like He knew what He was doing with me that morning. He is trying to bring more out of you. He is inviting you to move beyond the comfortable shadows where you find your identity in things other then what He has ultimately intended. Community, I speak over you during this time of much shaking, transition and fear, THERE IS A LOT MORE IN THERE THEN WHAT YOU THINK - LET IT OUT!!!

As I have personally wrestled with some of the questions I have been confronted with I have struggled. Particularly regarding the fourth floor and the house of prayer. At the same time I believe that the LORD has shown me that what emerges in Lancaster after this time of transition, after Jonathan, Mark and I move away, must be driven by those who remain not those who depart. It is difficult in some ways for me to accept that because the community and the house of prayer have been places where I have invested much of my life and resources during the last three years. However I have learned that I must continue to trust God to show me my role and then pursue excellence in that role avoiding the temptation to cling to something He used me in yesterday.

Right now I have two primary concerns - preparing my family for the coming move to North Carolina and finishing well with the community here. My responsibility for my family is pretty clear - packing boxes, helping with a yard sale and investing time in parent-child and husband-wife relationships which face added pressure from the pending geographic transition. With the community finishing well has been more difficult for me to define. However after spending time in the house of prayer yesterday I am finding peace with my role. I know that I am to continue to "pastor and equip" the community during this time. At the beginning of 2006 this meant being at meetings twice a week. Right now however I believe it means primarily two things - one - availing myself to help you frame and understand what God is saying to you in the midst of massive community transition and secondarily to provide fresh perspective through teaching, exhortation and equipping here on the blog. Finding new ways to communicate truth during this time of transition is important for me and so I seek to do so with excellence.

Finally I have planned a special commencement service for Monday, May 28, 2007. It is Memorial Day and it will provide an appropriate backdrop for us to celebrate and remember the spiritual heritage we have connected with in this region and our own memories of the last few years. At the same time the meeting will call us be forward-looking as we consider the paths immediately ahead of us which we have been perfectly qualified to pursue! So please consider joining us for the Harbinger Commencement @ 7pm on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28, 2007. The meeting will be held at Boehm's Chapel just south of Lancaster on Boehm's Chapel Road. I chose to have the meeting at this chapel because of the spiritual significance and relevance of Martin Boehm's own journey, legacy and connection to those of us who are Harbinger.

A promotional video can be seen immediately following this entry on this blog. Check it out and consider joining us for a Memorial Day celebration and commencement!

Directions: Boehm's Chapel is located in the community of Willow Street, Pennsylvania which is just southeast of Lancaster. The chapel is approximately one mile south of Willow Street and is situated behind the Boehm's United Methodist Church.

From PA Route 272 South, turn right onto Baumgardner Road (first right turn after traffic light at Penn Grant Road). Go one block and turn left onto Boehm's Road. Boehm's United Methodist Church is approximately one-quarter mile on the right.

The Revolution is On!

Navigating this Stretch of the Journey

I enjoy watching a successful struggle. I recently watched my six-month-old nephew, Silas, attempt to roll over. I could tell as I watched him that he had all the necessary tools required to accomplish his goal, yet he couldn't quite do it. A few days later I was with his father as he shared with great joy the news that Silas had just rolled over for the first time. It was a simple achievement, yet the pleasure this brought his father was immense.


As I have been living among the community watching during this time of transition I have been watching a similar picture develop - a struggle - a wrestling to do something I know that we are equipped to do. The task is simple to explain - move through a never-before-seen part of the journey into the next phase of our destiny. The challenge is that we have not done this exact thing before, that alone surfaces many previously unconquered fears which seem to cry out "it would be easier to turn back". Father is so into scenarios like this. I believe that He relishes the opportunity to watch His children use what He has invested into their lives to solve problems they have not previously overcome.

During the last several years one of the skills that God has worked diligently to develop in each of us is that of discernment. That was wisdom, as we are presently standing on the cusp of a series of decisions which demand that we use those skills of discernment to apprehend appropriate perspective for this hour. Our ability to lay hold of right discernment of the events of our lives and this region over the last few years will ultimately shape the choices that we make which will determine the direction of the next several years of our lives. Sound heavy? Not to worry, Father has invested a great deal into us, He is betting on us and if we choose to lay our fears aside, we will find the wisdom we need to move forward with passion, purpose and a deep sense of fulfillment.

Last night I spent time listening to Cindy Lapp wrestle through her own understanding of what has happened in Lancaster City, Gemeinschaft and Harbinger and what it means to her. I did not allow her to stop after she posed some profound questions about God and exposed some of her own hurts and fears, instead I invited her to answer the questions she had raised based on what she has learned to know about God during the last few years. As she surfed through a variety of emotions and questions she discovered gold - truth about the character of God - truth that she needs to have to go where she is going next. I thanked God as I watched this unfold. I realize that many of us are presently standing at this crossroads wrestling with what the last two years mean and how we move forward. Don't misjudge this - What an opportunity - God has set us in a place to show off His wisdom through us - He wants to make us look good in this hour as we move from where we are into what is next.

So if you are struggling - celebrate that - it means that you are on the verge of a breakthrough. Father is watching over us with the knowledge that we have all we need, He is waiting on us - to step out, to move toward our fears and simultaneously our destinies! He is waiting to celebrate over us when we "roll over"! So don't be afraid - move toward your fears with the knowledge that you have everything you need to do what is that you want and need to do in this hour!

A few other steps:

Take time with people - shut off the movies and share your heart, your fears and your questions - lets help each other hear the wisdom of God!

Take time with people - if you are still nursing old wounds - deal with them - there is no reason for you to take those things where you are headed.

Speak life - take time to share your heart with those you know are planning to leave.

We are doing it guys! This is an awesome time of transition!

Moving toward my fears and embracing this transition!

Matt

Time to Move

"So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him King, withdrew again to the mountainside by Himself alone."

Jesus walked in great discernment. He had learned during his first thirty years to hear from His father, to walk in obedience, to pursue that which was truly right. It was wise for the Father to train Him so thoroughly, for the enemy came with great skill and cunning to try and subtly appeal to Jesus in order to convince Him to forfeit his birthright. Jesus had been prepared, Jesus submitted himself to the training and He soared during the times of testing He faced. Ultimately He would boldly declare, "the prince of this world is coming, he has no hold on me." In His face to face battles with satan immediately after his baptism, in his battles with the religious spirit, even in great difficulty with His closest friends, Jesus soared. His ability to creatively solve the problems He faced is an inspiration to anyone facing difficult circumstances today. The Father knew what Jesus needed and therefore He made frequent deposits into Jesus throughout His life on the earth, He was making an investment which Father knew would one day bear much fruit. Similarly God has been preparing our community, for the last few years, inviting us to develop the skills necessary to survive the subtle temptations of the enemy and then thrive as we pursue, apprehend and fulfill our birthright. Prior to our time of corporate preparation the Father had already invested a great deal, positioning each of us in line to receive unique generational blessings designed specifically to bring life to the earth in this hour. It is exhilarating to consider the engineering that the Father has used to bring us together for such a time as this. He has truly done a good thing!

More exciting then the path that He has led us to at this point is where we go from here. I see the small army of us, riding on horseback across a high plateau. We are bloodied, scarred, scared, wounded and wearied from the battles we have been in. Yet simultaneously there is a wisdom, a resolve, a leanness in our bodies which suggests that we are ready for the next challenge. As we move along the high plateau, men, women and our children, we come upon a breathtaking scene. It is a chasm, a vast expanse which opens before us like the Grand Canyon - we pause, our hearts beating wildly, partly from what we have just been through, partly because of what is before us...there is nothing to say...we are overwhelmed simply by the knowledge that we have come to the next spot in our journey. It is more dramatic then we imagined, though we spoke of it, though we prophesied of it, we did not realize what we were saying. It is breathtaking. I see concern among the troops as we recognize the sobriety of this situation - there are many paths to take from this place - most of them are the right path for some of us - yet there is an awareness that we will not all be going to the next spot in the same geographic region in this season. There are many hugs, a wild party erupts filled with great joy and celebration and humbling tears signaling a transition from something that was surely more special then we realized while we walked through it. There are salutes as Jonathan mounts his horse and leads his regiment down the rocky path that God has chosen for him. There is a scurry of activity as others scramble to gather resources to move forward on the path that they have chosen, anxious but expectant, knowing that God has much more in store in the new journey. Some remain on the plateau looking, waiting, standing at their posts, watchmen who will continue to cry out for Lancaster. Those who move forward...do so quickly, securely with the knowledge that their birthright is not to be found in the places where they have been, but rather, where they will go. As this army advances, in smaller groups, onto trails that go in various directions down into the canyon, fire falls from heaven and the canyon is ablaze with the glory of God!

It is a new hour, a new day, a day to pursue our corporate birthright, a day to pursue our individual birthrights, a day for new paths, a time to celebrate our oneness as we move onto many different paths which lead to many new locations.

Jesus knew when it was right for Him to move, when it was right for Him to be still and He would not bow to peoples desires to shape Him into that which they desired, what they thought God should do through Him. He knew who He was and He went where it was right for Him to go, when it was right for him to go there. In this hour I exhort you, to stop shaking in fear - you have already been through the fire - you have been tested and approved. You are ready for this next step. You need not blindly follow any man, neither should you be afraid of doing something just because someone else is doing it. Turn your spirit to the Father, know that you will hear from Him what is next. Know that He will tell you and move toward it.

Naomi, my family and I are choosing a trail that leads to North Carolina. Others will be joining us for this part of the journey. There are many other trails, some of you will likely end up on teams with Mark, with Jonathan, with me - while some of you will blaze your own trails and lead others into totally new areas of discovery with you. Don't make your decision through a desire to be with us or out of a fear of following too closely to us. Turn to the Father, get your marching orders and move. Consider your next step and be bold, be aware that there are many forces working to keep you from taking the next step - do not be afraid - we have not bowed to these forces before - we will not bow to them now! Pay attention to the broad prophetic words you have received during the last year, ask Father for fresh perspective on those and move toward your fears and problems not away from them - see what happens. For each of us it is time to move more fully into our birthright!

I bless each of you on this journey to celebrate, to embrace the full range of emotions that comes as we consider the breathtaking place we have come to, the depth of the relationships pain, joy and intimacy we have experienced together. I bless you to savor the past and embrace the future on that thin slice of time that is today. For tomorrow it is time to move.

I love each of you.

Matt Buckwalter

This is a test

i wonder if this works...i guess we're about to find out.