Bill Shore, in The Cathedral Within, writes the following of his office in the "antihunger and antipoverty organization" which he founded: I don't have a desk. I sit at the same folding table I've used since SOS began fifteen years ago...Along with the rest of the nonmatching furniture that has been donated to our office, it reassures donors that we're spending their money the right way.
Does that make sense to you?
I expect it does. It makes a lot of sene to me, too.
Which makes me wonder why churches can have a tendency to be such fancy places. Part of the answer is a desire to give God our best. But I wonder why we understand our "best" in material terms.
People of faith have, in many ways, progressed in understanding what God wants from us. We no longer kill people with stones, for instance. In fact, many people of faith--following Jesus' example--refuse to kill at all.
So I wonder why we haven't progressed in understanding what it means to give God our "best"? Do we really think our best is material things? Is it a fancy building with incredible sound and lighting and comfortable seats or a world without hunger?
Some might say we need the fancy building to reach people with our message. But Bill Shores doesn't. And it seems clear people are listening.
I do understand the value of symbols. And I do understand the value of making a statement about what we believe about God. I just think maybe its time the statement changed.
Comments