One of the things that I really love about our community is that it truly takes a colloborative effort by all to make it happen right. Though it sometimes seems to me like it would be a lot easier to go another route, I deeply appreciate the way that we struggle together to try and live out the priesthood of all believers principle, and avoid defaulting to a dependence upon one persons gift or charisma to lift the lot. I'm not saying that we always do this well, or that we all share a clear and collective sense of what it is that we're trying to do in the first place. We need to keep working on building a more mutually shared identity, and we need to continue being honest, humble, and sober in our communal and self-evaluations. However, in the midst of the imperfections that continue to persist, I see brilliant rays of light bursting through that give me a great deal of hope in what God is doing and a lot of excitment about the future. Though they may currently (or by their very nature) be more rare than we would like, those moments in which we're able to come together and truly be the organic "body" of Christ, are truly special times that make the Kingdom seem like it is indeed coming; and they are moments that are very real, tested, durable achievements shared by everyone. Sunday's evening fellowship meeting at the High Street House was one of those moments for me.
This past Sunday was our bi-weekly time to assemble as a "family" and share a meal together. Our evening began with John & Katheryn gathering us in the front room for the welcome and the reading of the relevant lectionary passages. The gospel reading was from Matthew 22, the parable of the wedding banquet. John and Katheryn shared with us the wonderful news that they are currently looking for a house and planning to remain in Lexington for several more years. Naturally, the news was in itself a wonderful and joyous revelation. But it wasn't just the news that made it so special. It was the manner in which they shared it. They related their decision to remain in Lexington to Jesus' teaching in the parable about not just showing up to the banquet, but coming to it in a state of preparedness and being ready to honor the host with the proper attitude and reverence. It was a very powerful and deeply convicting message that came straight from the heart. After sharing, they opened the door to the middle room where they had the communion elements in the front of the dining tables waiting to serve us. Katheryn led us in serving one another the eucharist, and then we sat down to a wonderful Chipotle dinner with a tantalizing homemade dessert provided by Robert and Will T.(Will works at Chipotle). Almost everyone was present on this particular night, so their was a lot of good dinner time conversation and the energy that is always palpable when we're really enjoying our time together and simply being grateful for it. It was just one of those nights where we seemed to have a real sense of purpose in gathering, and where everyone seemed content to share what they had to offer. It was truly a special evening for me; a glimpse of the Kingdom that really left me feeling like I had been hosted at the banqueting table of a very different kind of King.
Again, I know that we don't always get it right, and we don't always feel the same way about a given event or set of circumstances. However, there are so many amazing ways in which God is breaking through with us, and the most amazing thing about it is that it really requires all of us to make it work right. We are slowly learning how to host and worthily dignify one another-probably the toughest task that we could ever undertake. And that opportunity is something for which we can truly be thankful..........let's ring the dinner bell and keep inviting more folks to join us at the baqueting table.....and most of all, thanks for bringing me to it!
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