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 (once again)
At the risk of exposing myself as a terminal optimist, I'd say that things are as they should be. As contentious as we seem to be as a church, we are no less so than the fractious congregations of Corinthians, Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians addressed by St. Paul. Can I consider it a good sign - a sign of life - that Christians have continued to fuss and fume and struggle, right down to the present day? It may look awful from the outside, and can feel awful on the inside, but it is simply the cost of Christian discipleship... The church is like the Incarnation, a shaky proposition. It is a human institution, full of ordinary people, sinners like me, who say and do cruel, stupid things. But it is also a divinely inspired institution, full of good purpose, which partakes of a unity far greater than the sum of its parts. That is why it is called the body of Christ.
I would have to say that Norris is more than a terminal optimist. Optimism cannot hold people within the church - the Holy Spirit does. In the middle of all the "junk" that comes up and is thrown around the room - for many and various reason (bright and dull) - the Holy Spirit is the promised gift to this band of people who follow Jesus. More and more it appears as though we have a tough time bringing things forward and laying them on the table so that we can admit to our differences and disagreement and then...continue to function as the body of Christ. I know that is always a tough one for me. It takes more courage or grace than I can muster. Then again, that is what we are called to be...a body of beloved people whose life is to love one another...even as we differ and pick and gripe. There is not end to the need of prayer among us. Prayer - even in the car going to or coming from a church event - is the way we can be encouraged to be the "little Christ's" as Luther puts it. Oh sure, we'll blow it...sometimes in a big way...but we will again and again call on the Power of our God to make a people despite our own actions or inactivity.
Connection: Give it another day...today...tomorrow. The promise of the life in the Holy Spirit is not an empty promise....but sometimes we may really wonder about how the life is doing...right now.
Lord of Every Age, within all the divisions and egos that rise up among us, it is no wonder that communication comes slowly among us. We come to you asking for this new day to be another opportunity to experience the promise of the life you bring to your people. Amen.
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