The lead piece is from "Amazing Grace by Kathleen Norris. In this book she takes many of the words and images of the faith and attempts to put some reality and life to them.
CHURCH (this may take several days)
From the outside, church congregations can look like remarkably contentious places, full of hypocrites who talk about love while fighting each other tooth and nail. This is the reason many people give for avoiding them. On the inside, however, it is a different matter, a matter of struggling to maintain unity as "the body of Christ" given the fact that we have precious little uniformity. I have only to look at the congregation I know best, the one I belong to. We are not individuals who have come together because we are like-minded. That is not a church, but a political party. We are like most healthy churches, I think, in that we can do pretty well when it comes to loving and serving God, each other, and the world; but God help us if we have to agree about things. I could test our "uniformity" by suggesting a major remodeling of the sanctuary, or worse, that Holy of Holies - the church kitchen. But I value my life too much.
To enter into the life of a congregation is to encounter the face of humanity. Why? The church is the people. Bring a bunch of people together - no matter what the cause may be - and people will be people. But in the Church we are taught that the Holy Spirit is forever and ever shaping us into the body of Christ and calling us to come to life. That may not make for the nicest looking package...especially as it is being unwrapped. We are assured though, that the Church will be sustained, changed, challenged, and called out of it "self" into the whole body of Christ. Honest and prayerful deliberation makes for times of flare ups. Flares send out a warning sign, they alert people to the need for help, and they bring into sight the fact that there is life still there...still wanting to continue through a crisis into a new day. The Church.
Connection: Sometimes our personal "wicks" can be so short that we are not able to enter into discussions in a peaceable manner. I have had that happen a number of times. Then again, if we are willing to put that up front, we are merely asking for others to give us time to think and stew...but the discussion must continue and we are never going to be sure what will take place. That happens in more than the church. Stay in there today!
O Lord, Most High, we thank you for this day and how you continue to inspire us so that the loving presence of your beloved, Jesus, may abide with us and be the light that shines and leads us to your gracious reign. Amen
No comments:
Post a Comment