11-08-24

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 8, 2024
Last week, someone asked me the question, “Since the church is declining at such a rapid rate in the United States, what do you think the church will look like in 15 years?” First, I am, as Desmond Tutu put it, “A prisoner of hope,” so I might not be the best person to ask. Even on my worst days, I am a perpetual glass half full kind of person, even though some might call me naive. Part of my hope is rooted in community, specifically the faith community. Even when everything seems to be crumbling around us, I can almost always find something in the church where good things are happening and love and hope are being offered in tangible and life-changing ways. There are days when circumstance can make it a bit more challenging to see those good things, but my faith tells me they exist… in part because I know and trust certain people who do not stop doing the good even when it appears impractical or unimpactful. There are those who take seriously the words of the Apostle Paul who said, “…you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you.” The Spirit of God dwells within all of us, but living as if we are in the Spirit requires practice. Those who continue to do the good, even when everything seems to be unraveling, are folks who have named and embraced both the presence and power of the Spirit within. They are the folks who have been shaped for just such a moment as this.

​Continue to encourage my personal discipline and journey of exploration, O Living God, for I believe I carry within life your very essence in the form of the Spirit. In faith, I claim its presence, and through the spiritual practices, I come to know it, welcome it, and listen to its calling upon my life. Amen.