I think there is something sad about walking up to the door of a church in the middle of the day and expecting it to be locked. However, I was happily surprised to find that the old Gothic styled building I happened upon a spontaneous walk today, was indeed unlocked. It was also very silent and very empty.. so of course, I explored the entire thing. Sitting in those old pews while rereading Joshua 6 and 7 was a great time of meditation, reflection, questioning, and prayer. Before leaving the silent sanctuary however, I felt compelled to leave some traces of my presence, so I wrote a long note with all my questions regarding what I read and a prayer that I seem to pray consistently, on the inside of a tithe envelope, placed in a pew Bible.
I am so thankful that the sanctuary was open, and ideal for a time of prayer and meditation.
But now, I am very aware of how rare this was, and it has me thinking.........
When did cathedrals become Museums?
and Why do we lock our Church doors? Is it because of all the "stuff" we wasted money on? Are we afraid it will be stolen?
LET IT BE STOLEN.
What if, when Jesus told the rich young ruler to go and sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor and THEN come follow Him, He meant exactly that? What if we occasionally took Jesus literally?
Why do so many Christians assume that this passage is just a story to prove a point? Why does no one seem to think that this is what we are called to do? I mean... perhaps not everyone and certainly not always.... but definitely some people and surely more often than we think.
What if we give up on all the gimmicks and bribes to get people to church... and instead... we live lives of love that are so attractive in and of themselves that the gimmicks and bribes aren't even necessary?
Now wouldn't that be something...
When we lock our precious valuables in the church, we are locking broken hearts out of redemption.
