We are well snowed here in Manchester. Despite the weather our Renewal group is growing - there is a richness in the breadth of experiences and spirituality across our group and the prayer and exploration last week about the arrest of Jesus in Mark 14 was fascinating!
With the snow here it is like a new landscape - interior and exterior. It is all in the opportunities perceived as invitations to see anew through lent - the time for examining the landscape of the soul. Do we need a spiritality of resistance and sustenance for the wilderness as suggested recently by David Cornick in the NW Synod? This is a kind of spirituality that recovers our roots and lets scripture speak. Yes to the speaking of scripture! There is still a significant need to encounter and engage with the bible and seek the living Word in it because many of us URCs (united reformed churchers) have forgotten what and who lives in the bible. There seems sometimes to be bible-worship but such a desert landscape of the soul in worship and witness.
Structures and systems will only serve us well when we get with God again - in bible, worship and world. Perhaps many of us would rather not now - it would demand of us such change, renewal and conversion/metanoia that we haven't the energy for the turning...
If God and grace are on the loose we may be stumbling blocks and bollards in the way of the Spirits re-encountering with the church? If God and grace are on the loose we will be worked around and the Spirit will blow where she will - with or without us - and always with an inviting, open and hospitable challenge to each of us to metanoia -
what a lent journey the urc is offered this year! what encounters of wilderness and soul landscaping are gifted to us as part of our lenten wrestling! will we get with God again in recovering our roots and reformed-ness? we are the Jesus people of hope - and in lent we are the Jesus people who hope with fools wisdom not worldly wisdom and focus on Jesus landscape for our souls not on our church landscape - get our perspectives in order or the structures will come tumbling down!
My soul thirsts for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God? Psalm 42.2
