Wednesday, February 15, 2017

Devotion - Wednesday, February 15

I want to leave open the possibility that the comments spoken to me in so many coffee visits were intended to be respectful, and thus the full weight of the concerns were held back.  What is shared with me is the longing for a community - but the inability to see "church" as a place where such a community might be found.

The comment usually goes something like this:  "I believe, but not in a way which y'all are likely to agree."  The follow up conversation rarely exposes any heretical convictions or thoughts which don't pass through my mind each week.

Somewhere along the way, the Church shifted from being a place where strangers along the road were invited to "Come and see," or "Come and experience," and became a fortress in which guards keep a close watch on the entrance gate.  This should have never been allowed to happen.  And we need to speak up against it happening among us.

Yes - we will seek to teach one another what is said in Holy Scriptures and how centuries of fellow pilgrims have applied those words to their lives.  Yes - we will acknowledge the confessions of the Church and use them as a guide to our own affirmations.  But - but - let's tear down the mistaken notion that unless one toe the line they are not to be considered part of this fellowship.  And, let's make sue that questions and wanderings are lifted up and discussed and are seen as welcomed opportunities to better understand whether the musings of those ancient pilgrims remain helpful.

Come and see.  Come and experience.  Find a place of welcome and a place of safety.  If, along the way, you start to wonder how what God has revealed to you can seem to be out of sync with your perception of what God has said to others, speak of this and be ready for others to concur with your concern.

This is what it means to be the Kingdom of God.

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