Yes!

I was in Chicago this weekend and we went to church with our friend who gave up his bed 2 nights for us. It was on this trip I felt a small victory in my journey with the Lord. A resounding YES! in my heart. You see, I've reacted negatively towards various church styles in the past, maybe as early as 8th grade. I don't think it's always bad to react nor do I feel all my reactions were immature or judgmental. Some were. But that's neither here nor there... just finding my way.

The last community I was a part of caused me to engage with truths and styles of meeting with the Lord which were more formal than I'd known previously. I credit these beautiful people for teaching me the Apostles Creed , for giving communion its proper place and helping me to draw deeply and lovingly from liturgy. I never expected to want to pick up a copy of The Book of Common Prayers at the next used bookstore I see.

It actually wasn't until Friday night talking with friends in Chicago that I realized some of the beauty and weight the Anglican style carries in my heart. Then Sunday, I was given a gift. It had a lot of the same elements of the Anglican church complete with traditional hymns. Everything about the style has in the past been the basis of some sort of tension or reaction in me which had its right and wrong place. But as I sat/stood there during the hymns, the prayers of the people, confession time and communion I had absolutely NO tension. If anything, a longing for it overtook me. This was a victory people. I feel like I was healed of something. Maybe judgment, maybe cynicism, maybe poor vision, maybe something for which I should not try to minimize by finding the perfect words. Or maybe I just grew up a bit. Regardless, it felt really beautiful to not analyze how someone does church as more "Right" or more "Wrong" (thanks David for that wording) but as another profound way that God would choose to love us. Sounds elementary as i write it, but I think people involved in church do this much more than we'd care to admit. At least I've seen you do it as much as me :)

I've been thinking more lately about how God makes all things new. Maybe all the different ways to express the truth of God in a community setting are a loving expression of a God who regenerates, creates and makes all things new.

Or maybe all the different versions of church are mutations of the really simple way of Jesus. Ha! Maybe...but that's a totally different post. In the end, I still can't get over the fact that God gives us the ability to meet him for real, legitimately, purely without mistake and without mutation in so many ways.