Paris Originals
4/01/2008
 When I first started writing church news-letter columns some thirty years ago, I began using the title “Paris Originals” for my regular front-page musings. I have used different artwork down through the years, but I have never written a column under any other title. Until now. I feel so strongly about our “Transforming the Church ~ Brick by Brick” renovation effort that I wanted to set “Paris Originals” aside for a few months. Besides, the logo on this page was the brainchild of our own Chase Sund so I want to show it off every chance I get. At a deeper level, however, the logo not only says something about our renovation project, but also says something about who we are as a church and who we are becoming. We are slowly growing into a different kind of church than we were before. Rather than defining church in terms of members, we are learning to be a church of disciples. So “transforming” is a good word to describe what is happening among us and within us. As God is transforming our beliefs and images of ourselves in this place, God is calling us to transform the appearance of our building. As God is transforming our congregation person by person, God is asking us to transform our educational space brick by brick. | The challenges are huge, and the obstacles look insurmountable. All of us are fearful whenever we see what’s happening to our nation’s economy, and every year our church has to rely on investment income to balance our budget. Logic and common sense would seem to say we cannot pull this off. But the Christ who called us to this task has never been bound by human logic or the current definitions of common sense. This is the Christ, remember, who said, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.” This is the Christ who saw a poor widow toss a few copper coins into the temple treasury and pronounced her gift more significant than those who had made sizeable contributions. And this is also the Christ who said plainly, “To whom much is given, much will be required.” Who among us can say we have not been truly blessed in so many ways? This renovation project is a way to say “thank you” in a tangible way. Moreover, the question is not “Can we do this?” The question is, “Can God do this?” I think we all know the answer to that. As the old saying goes, the will of God will not lead us where the grace of God cannot keep us. My own life is a testimony to the truth of that statement. My hunch is that you could say the same. I believe our days of being transformed — as a building, as a congregation, and as individual disciples — are just beginning. I am glad I can share the journey with you |
The United Church of Christ.