On his recent trip to a Mennonite church in Lancaster, Isaac reflected on the way church is a place where the world is welcomed into God’s presence. Here’s an excerpt:
While waiting for the Monday night meal to begin, I read a brochure that describes the church’s purpose: “East Chestnut Street Mennonite Church, planting life and peace in our neighborhood.” The church exists as a place for God’s seed of new life to grow into peace-filled communion for all. In a world where some people are treated as less than human, the church invites everyone to find the preciousness of their life in Christ’s body. Through word and deed, this body declares the infinite beauty of Jesus’ sisters and brothers — nothing less than a new world breaking through the cracks of the old.
“Use us to create a new world on Earth,” Pastor Sue Conrad prays during worship the next Sunday. As she speaks from the pulpit, the sounds of the world outside sneak through the open windows — the sound of traffic, the piercing rhythm of a car alarm, fragments of conversations along the sidewalk. The church worships with open windows and doors, welcoming the flow of life on the streets, receiving the world of God.
For the rest of the article, follow this link to the Mennonite Weekly Review: Door open to the city.