Oh the Church

Oh dear Bride of Christ, when will you cease your bickering? Why are we so prone to argue about "who does church right or best?" Goodness!

I've been thinking a lot about PoMo in Australia and the one thing I took away (among many things, mind you) is that there are many different types of being Church to fit many different types of people, and that isn't wrong. In fact, its beautiful. We are so diverse as a body, as a family that we need to do things differently. 

It's similar to an actual demographic of people. I feel that if we pool people about the way they do things, even simple things, like get ready in the morning, that each person would have a different plan. For me, I wake up, check my email, eat breakfast after saying good morning to my lovely roommates, brush my teeth and wash my face, get a shower, get dressed, do my hair, pack a lunch and my bag and I'm out the door. If someone doesn't get up in the morning in the same order, I'm not going to criticize them. 

Or take something more spiritual, like the disciplines. There are many disciplines and some people connect to God by doing different things. I've discovered that I connect to God best through community and prayer, and that I don't really commune well with God through lectio divina. Do I still try it, yes. But a relationship isn't meant to be tied down. It's like human relationships: my relationship with Shane (my friend) is different from that with Chris (my brother), which is different from Hannah (another friend), etc. Yet there are Christians who want everybody to feel just as they do. 

So please don't put someone else's practices on trial. There are enough people doing that. Instead, praise God that they have a meaningful way to connect with the Divine and a different way to reach others then you do, because we cannot be the body by ourselves. (Doesn't Paul say something about that?)