Dreaming...

What if a pastor stood behind a pulpit and said, "The gospel isn't about me or this church or even you. It's about the world outside these walls. We are a gospel-oriented community only to the extent that we're doing something to heal and cultivate the world around us. So I'm hereby giving notice that when you think of the word "church," I don't want you to think about this building, the people seated beside you, me. I want you to think of all the ways we are working in the community. And if it's easier for you to think of us in this building than what we're doing in the community, both locally and globally, our attention is misplaced. As a symbol of this outward emphasis, right now I am going to walk out these doors and go into our community in search of ways to heal and cultivate. Will you come with me? Let's take a walk around the block and look right now for ways to be of service. This will be an embodied symbol of our communal commitment to others. Let's go."