|
We Take Church With Us You have heard it said and many of us even have said on more than one occasion, "You don't go to church, you are the church." Well, today I say, "We have come to church and when we leave here we take church with us." Yes, we have come to church. We have come to a structure of bricks and mortar built just under 100 years ago by a committed group of Polish Catholics. We have come to celebrate being church in this place. Baptist church, at that! And we have come to celebrate the ownership of a piece of real estate, and while it is Hell's Kitchen and not Wall Street, it is still in Manhattan. We celebrate the vision, the tenacity, the gumption and the fortitude of that small band of faithful who convinced dubious friends across the country to join us in raising the needed funds, sometimes as foreclosure seemed the logical next step. This morning we have come to a church building to be church! And what a church we are! Over twenty years ago the members of Metro believed that for this congregation to have a viable ministry in New York City we needed a building to call "home." Now, in a city with many church buildings and dwindling church memberships, one could question the importance of a building. Yet, there is both practical and biblical logic in our decision to have a building which is known as a "church." A building provides a place for the church community to gather. It is a place where we come to worship, in-gather new covenanted members, celebrate and build communion, and a place in which and out of which we can minister to others. A building in various ways serves as public notice that we are invested in the welfare of the community around us, and it is a visible reminder to all who pass that God is present in the midst of the community. In our case, it further communicates to all who daily enter this city by bus or car that the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jesus, and not the gods of commerce stands at the doorway to this city-a God who invites all persons-regardless of social status, ethnicity, age, gender, or sexual orientation-to celebrate being sisters and brothers together in God's family. Our church and its building-has done just that 24/7 for the past eighteen years. This building has provided us a visible and permanent presence in this city and around the world. Just in the past year, we have hosted dialogues on interfaith relations with delegations of religious and political leaders from Indonesia and from Vietnam. We have been church to refugees of the tragic events of 9/11. Numerous volunteers have been sheltered in our dorm. 24,000 persons have received food. Over 500 have received clothes and toiletries. Children and youth have received loving and skilled assistance with their education. Parents have received training. Immigrants have learned English. Hundreds have received free health and dental assistance. Community meetings and artistic events have been hosted. Counseling has been shared. And, don't underplay this, the gospel of Jesus Christ has been faithfully proclaimed through wonderful music of our faith, through bible study, and preaching. This building has stood and stands as a visible reminder that God cares about the people of this city. And this practical side of "why a building" underscores the biblical reasons. While the Bible is clear that the presence of God is not tied to buildings, much less any particular building, it is also clear that has through the ages instructed buildings and stones of remembrance piled by the way side be set aside to remind people of God's presence in the midst of them. It was in such a building, a tent actually, that Moses continued his conversation with God that God spare humanity from destruction. It was in such a building that Isaiah heard God's plea for someone to contend with the people on God's behalf for their redemption. Buildings are given great visible description in the sacred texts to serve as reminders of God's care for all people and to symbolize the bounteous graciousness and majesty of God. I
have often looked up at this city's tall buildings and marveled that they
seemed to soar into the heavens. And then stopped to recognize that the
reason that they do so is that they are anchored as securely as engineers
know how to the bedrock. I watch airplanes sail through the heavens, and
know that they can do so because the engineers who designed them rooted
their drawings in the bedrock of natural laws. And I watch the growth
of God's church through the ages and understand that when the church has
soared to new visions and brought the stuff of God given dreams into reality
it was when the church was firmly grounded in "the righteousness
of God in Christ Jesus"-no firmer foundation was needed. And when
that foundation has been by-passed for faster or easier schemes, the buildings
have come tumbling down. |