Lost

So I was coming back from a run, ran up the stairs to my apartment, which is actually the church parsonage and do what I normally do, put on music and get ready for a shower and tackle the rest of the my day.  Nothing out of the ordinary, except that just before I am getting ready to change and jump into the shower, into my apartment walks this elderly gentleman and almost walks all the way into my room just before he stops himself and shouts, "where the h... is the senior center?."
You can imagine my surprise to see a complete stranger in my house unexpected and uninvited! Luckily I wasn't totally indecent and I was able to direct him to the right place. What had happened was that I had left my door ajar because I hardly ever think about locking my door when I run in and out of the house to the church.  Needless to say, I think I will begin locking my doors from now on.  However, I couldn't help it.  I was cracking up the rest of the day, every time I thought about it!

The more I think about this little mishap, I can't help but reflect on the work that is happening here.  This church building, like many church buildings in our denomination are really small fortresses.  There are many doors but hardly none of them are open.  Signage continues to be a problem in that people are not sure which is the correct door to get in and so it has conveyed a message of "sure you're welcome, if you can find your way in."

For me this is an even greater issue:  Theological identity and signs that a congregation has lost its self esteem and purpose. So just like that poor lost soul in my apartment, the church exclaims "how the h... do we get out of here?"  Look, getting this congregation to get to this place where they can even ask this question has taken a little over a year.  It has been a process of analyzing, sermon series, discussions after discussions, but it has also been the work of the planter bringing the community closer to their doorsteps.  It has been about opening the doors and windows of their collective souls to help them see that while they were neatly tucked away, their community had changed drastically.

Not only have they lost their ability to find their way back to the community, this indicates that there is some ecclesiological confusion about what it means to be the church.  Generally, most of us associate church with worship and rightfully so.  Worship is one of the strongest witnesses of a community of faith.  However, I believe how we worship is indicative to who we are! Think about that the next time you look out across your congregation or sit among others in worship.  Ask yourself, who are we and who are we supposed to be and what are we supposed to be proclaiming?  Can I see all of this reflected in worship today?
Look at the second chapter of Acts, verse 43 -47.  The formula for church revitalization was as clear as the ancient formula we use in celebration of the Eucharist.   Gathering, thanksgiving, blessing, breaking and sharing!  The signs and wonders that people witnessed were a group of people, from diverse backgrounds and walks of life, men and women, young and old, rich and poor, committed to becoming ONE.  Loving the hell out of each other(literally) and their community.  This caused people to recognize that something miraculous was happening in their midst.  If you were lost, this community would help you find your way and sense of belonging.  So their worship was a reflection of what they were already doing in the community.  Is that what Paul means, when he says that we are to "worship in spirit and in truth?"

Well, like I said, I have started to lock my door now for all the obvious reasons.  But just so you know, I know nothing like this would have happened to me if the man standing in my apartment hallway would have looked like George Clooney or Gerard Butler!  All the same, what a way to discover how a church is viewed by a community and what a way to hear the Spirit's voice calling us to open our doors.  Hmmmm, where have I heard that before?!!!