A friend of mine reminded me of this book, Messy Spirituality. I had picked it up a few years ago when I was involved in youth work. Yaconelli was known for his “freeness” and in this book does a masterful job at expressing the incredible love of God for His children.
In spite of and probably because of our shortcomings we see that, as the Shack so eloquently put it, He is “fond of us”. So often I wonder if we seclude ourselves into the walls of the church because we are afraid of entering into the world. Could it be because we are afraid of the judgment of others as we enter the world. Could it be that in entering the world we are afraid that we will find that we should have been there all along and have wasted precious moments sitting on the wrong side of a glazed window.
Is a building really necessary and can it become a hindrance rather than a blessing? Is the cost of upkeep worth the lost community influence through helping the poor and needy?
I don’t know the answer, and would not presume we should all sell our land and give to the poor. It simply gives me pause to consider that the areas we are being drawn to serve in are outside the church walls.
Perhaps a new monasticism is emerging. Where once monks secluded themselves inside the church to find God, possibly now monks will seclude themselves outside the church in order to find God.
Maybe a greater portion of spirituality and grace can be seen in the faces of those who choose not to enter the church. Maybe it is outside in the harsh surroundings that we discover the pleasant scent of communion and conversation.
christopherhildreth 
