Take, for example, the last delivery of the day on Friday. I pulled up to a fairly small piece of property in a rural area, fenced in with wire fencing, plastered with signs that read, “No Tresspassing”, “Keep Out”, “Armed Guard on Duty”, “Beware of Dog”. (Yes, all those signs were there.) Enclosed by the fence was this chaotic, junked-up enigma of a place–sheds that looked like they were made of scrap metal, the remains of a stripped car sitting in the tall grass, and so much clutter you couldn’t even tell if there was a house back behind it that someone could live in. I don’t think it was officially a junkyard, but it could have been.
Even though the gate was open–just one side of the gate to barely allow a vehicle through–the signs were so intimidating that I called the recipient on the cell to make sure someone was home and it was okay to “trespass”. (I don’t care much for chance meetings with big dogs. Or people with guns.) A pleasant lady’s voice answered, chuckled, and said, “Sure, come on in.” So I drove up, got out with the flowers, and walked toward this dark enclosed patio-looking area where I was sure the home had to be.
Turns out I was right–it was a mobile home, with a very large metal overhang in front to provide shade and shelter for the astro-turf patio area underneath. The lady was outside on the patio, holding one of those filter-nets on a pole that you might use to clean a swimming pool or something. And then I looked to the right of the patio, and I saw what she was cleaning…
The entire east side of the patio and overhang was a beautiful decorative rock wall with a fountain and pool, and a sitting place.
It was the last thing I expected to see–a beautiful fountain in the middle of all that crazy clutter. But there it was–a little oasis in the midst.
Every life has a story, and when I see things like this, it always makes me wonder what the story is behind it. Whateve the backstory was behind this scenario, but it appeared as though this woman had created (or had created for her) a little happy-place in the middle of the chaos. And the woman herself was so pleasant, and appreciated the flowers very much. I wondered what her life must be like here, behind all those signs screaming to people to keep out. I know you can’t read too much into things, or fill in the blanks for people; but I wondered just the same.
As I drove away, I thought how interesting it was to find that beautiful fountain in the most unexpected of places. And I thought how it contrasted to the environment around it, and how cool that was.
And I thought about the church, and how we really are supposed to be like that.
I talk a lot on here about how the church needs to be sensitive to the changes in our culture, and adapt to our surroundings as part of the mission of Christ. But that has never been an invitation to lose our distinctness as the church. It’s just that we have been distinct about the wrong things. While our institutional forms become more and more archaic and and less and less effective, it seems we work harder and harder at preserving them. And that’s because we suffer from mistaken identity; that stuff has nothing to do with who the church really is, neither is it the thing that should make us stand out among the world around us.
Wayward Son
Musician. Composer. Recovering perfectionist. Minister-in-transition. Lover of puns. Hijacker of rock song references. Questioner of the status quo.
I'm not really a rebel. Just a sincere Christ-follower with a thirst for significance that gets me into trouble. My quest has taken me over the fence of institutional Christianity. Here are some of my random thoughts along the way. Read along, join in the conversation. Just be nice.
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last 4 paragraphs were extremely powerful. thanks for sharing as always. awesome & I agree
I find it helpful to have a good description of edible wild mushrooms before I go to the woods hunting for them. Otherwise, I might pick and eat poisonous ones.
Similarly, I find it helpful to have a good description of God and His people so I will know who they are. Otherwise, I may be deceived.
Although there is not space here to provide a good description, undoubtedly one distinguishing characteristic is that God and His people will of necessity be an En Gedi in the midst of this crappy world (if the god and people we’re trying to figure out aren’t, then its the wrong god).
En Gedi – the oasis just a few feet from a hot, desolate desert wilderness. Are we indeed an En Gedi to our world?
Jeff,
Very well said!!
Randi Jo,
Thanks for reading and for the encouragement.
Sam,
Good analogies about the mushrooms and En Gedi. 🙂 Thanks for chiming in.
Thanks, Gary.
Well, I reckon when you expand your horizons a little more, you might see a beautiful fountain in the middle of a lot interesting stuff. Sheds cobbled out of scrap indicate frugality and ingenuity. Astro-turf has a beautiful functionality as well as cultural clout (at least in certain circles). The stripped down car means someone was willing to try to do it himself. Did you say you were delivering flowers? As in the wonderful, ingenious, frugal, creative, resourceful, protective male of the estate is also romantic? Whoa, baby!
B. Knox,
As I mentioned in the piece…you cannot read too much into something like that. Your guess is as good as mine. 🙂
Of course, some “guesses” may be informed by a little background experience. Anyway, the scripture has something to say in regards to perspective on what you might find in the “middle of the dung.”
Proverbs 14:4
Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
By the way, sometimes I, too, have my tongue in my cheek.