My good friend Kyle and I had coffee the other day. In our conversation which ranges from books to movies to theology to being fathers, he disclosed to me an interpretation of the Biblical narrative which he experienced (which he reminded me is in part the foundation of the book “Jesus Wants to Save Christians”).
In it he said there is this constant tension of our desire to be stationary and God’s calling us to be nomadic. We build cities in Babel, God disperses us. We build tents on at the transfiguration, God tells us that would be inappropriate. We want to bury our dead, Jesus calls us to follow. Cain (a worker of the land) kills Abel (a nomadic herder) because God liked Abel’s offering more. We want to build a temple, God asks why; I have been with you in the wilderness. Adam and Eve give up foraging for food in Eden for a life bound to working the land for food.
This can go on and on and on and on…
Which all begs the question, is the church setting down roots, build our own empires and walls or are we moving out, being nomadic and living on the move?
Either way, I can guarantee I will be at my church building on Sunday.
In it he said there is this constant tension of our desire to be stationary and God’s calling us to be nomadic. We build cities in Babel, God disperses us. We build tents on at the transfiguration, God tells us that would be inappropriate. We want to bury our dead, Jesus calls us to follow. Cain (a worker of the land) kills Abel (a nomadic herder) because God liked Abel’s offering more. We want to build a temple, God asks why; I have been with you in the wilderness. Adam and Eve give up foraging for food in Eden for a life bound to working the land for food.
This can go on and on and on and on…
Which all begs the question, is the church setting down roots, build our own empires and walls or are we moving out, being nomadic and living on the move?
Either way, I can guarantee I will be at my church building on Sunday.