Wednesday, October 12

            Our one-year-old grandson, Henry, has taken his first staggering steps. Sometimes, he uses the furniture to get himself to a standing position and then sets out for his intended destination. It may be only a few steps right now but it is hard work for our little guy. He doesn’t always make it. Sometimes, he loses his balance and plops down on his diaper-cushioned backside. Turns and pivots are still a little tricky. His momentum, once he gets up to speed, may propel him more away than toward his chosen path. But once he gets the hang of it, of course, he will find a new sense of freedom and mobility which will allow him to enjoy new experiences and discoveries.

             Mind you, it adds to the need for Mom and Dad’s attentive diligence, and his old brother can’t escape as easily, and Jackson the dog may have to deal with a busy toddler. But for Henry, it is a new skill that opens up the world around him.

            There are times when I think that it has been a shame that the Christian church allowed itself to become so institutionalized and therefore stuck in in its rigid forms, buildings, rules and codes. Originally, Christianity was called “The Way” by its followers. It implies movement, flexibility, having the freedom to get up and move, discovering of new places and people, going into their neighbourhoods and communities, and understanding faith in Christ as a journey of growth, creation and discovery. Even in the Old Testament God only reluctantly allowed his people to build him a temple, but for the longest time worship was centred in a very transportable ark of the covenant.  The first Christian communities met in people’s homes and often seemed to move about depending on the circumstances.

            Today, many, often older, Christians seem to prefer stability, structure, predictability, certainty, reliability, and safe havens when it comes to the practice of our faith. To be honest the older that I am getting, more and more I am appreciating those qualities myself. There are days when it is an effort to get up off the couch, never mind to try something new, or to seek out a positive change in my life, or to flex my spiritual legs and see what God is doing out there. But if all I ever do is fall down on my faith-cushioned, spiritual backside and not get up and try again I will never get anywhere. And I will be the poorer for it.

            Paul wrote “Walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God,” (Ephesians 5:2). Jesus instructed his followers to pick up our crosses and follow him in the Way of Love. When we walk down the path of God’s Love, we choose a way that opens up a whole new landscape to explore, enjoy, revel in, and discover new blessings and experience the sacredness of all of life.

            “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love,” (2 John 1:6).

Dale