Staying Out of God's Way

Creating a Society of Rooms

I Kings 8:54-61; =

Ephesians 2:11-22=

= ;

There are all kinds of societies: professional societies, scientific societies, folk lore societies, e= ven societies of bird watchers. Then of course there are societies that speak of wealth and privilege. I am old enough to remember the Ladies Aid Society, t= he Sunshine Ladies and the Ladies’ Missionary Society. One knew that they met monthly, had tea and cookies, sent cards to the ill, corresponded with missionaries, and eventually the missionaries would visit and there would b= e a chicken supper to raise funds for them, and as a kid you hoped you wouldn’t have to go to the obligatory potluck supper to greet them and hear them speak. The church I was raised in had the Harriet Mifflin Society. You had to be invited to belong to that group. They never put meeting notic= es in the Sunday bulletin for fear someone might just walk in on them one day = and wish to become a member. For years they had fund raisers for a new pipe org= an. When I left for college they had managed to maintain an account balance of $3,000. It was going to be a long journey to a new pipe organ!

I have never been interested in societies. Maybe when I retire I can find one= to pique my interest. But then I came across the quote of architect Louis Kahn which I shared with you last Sunday. “I think that a plan (floor) is a society of rooms. A real plan is one in which the rooms have spoken to each other.” I knew immediately that was a society in which I could become interested! You see, I have become weary through the years of people who denigrate church buildings, as though they are not worthy of our support.

I have always contended that church buildings, and of course the community inside, can be important signs of God’s presence in the world. I like Kahn’s suggestion that a particular arrangement of rooms encourages t= hem to be in conversation with each other, providing spirit, energy, and imagination to the building, plus a sense of warmth and belonging to all who enter these chatty rooms.

So I spend some time trying to listen in on the conversations among the rooms = in the Church House. So if you see me meandering through the building, intent = on listening, its not that I hear strange noises, I am listening for good nois= es! What I encounter in the upper level is mostly a great white silence! As I w= alk down that long hall, the only sense I get is of these large white spaces crying: “Help! Help! Get me out of here! It’s lonely up here!” We will come back to the upper level.

The mid level is a different story. Wow! It is just full of conversations. In fact, it is downright chatty! I= t is relational space. It is light and airy, with all that light and images comi= ng in from the Park. I get a sense of the wonder of the Spirit blowing through= the space, sneaking around the corners of the office cubicles, waiting to take someone by surprise. The architecture encourages those of us who occupy that space to be relational. My office just is full of conversations. They just = go on and on all the time. And there is that exceptional window, which if it h= ad clear glass would allow journeys from the park outside to the inside and ba= ck out again!

Then there is that wonderful architectural element of a window into the library = at the end of the hall. Would that there had been something creative like that= on the upper level. The library = is premium space. It is quiet, orderly, draws you immediately to meditate, if = you are alone. And there is the excitement of access to ideas and history, and = hundreds of peoples commentaries on God’s Word.

And just next door are the infant and toddler rooms, that have become the welco= ming entryways for young families into our church, where they are welcomed to the future of First Presbyterian Church! And the Archives Room? – well, t= here is all that church and commun= ity history behind locked doors. The conversation in the space is all bottled u= p! Couldn’t we do something that would alert us that we are surrounded by history as we enter?

It is just a few steps down to The Gathering Place. This space has huge potent= ial for conversations that feed the soul. The space expands into the glass towe= rs at each end. You do not just walk through that space. You need to reflect on the space when you are in it. The beauty of the space speaks to you and asks you to encounter other people in joy and friendship. It can be closed off to become important meditative space, space transparent to the transcendent! O= h, lots of hidden conversation here waiting to come out!

It is space to feed the soul. It is space wishing to shout out to all who enter it:

”You belong here!” For community cannot develop in a church without a sens= e of belonging.

Thomas Moore says that the most important ingredient feeding the soul is beauty. He says we need beauty more than function. Moore says food is as important to the soul as it is to our physical well-being. = If we wish to bring soul into our lives, begin with food. Break bread together= in The Gathering Place. It is sacred; it is good for your soul! The soul is al= so fed by diversity. Welcome diversity of people and ideas into The Gathering Place. What great conversations the space will supply. And then focus on cr= oss, font and table. We are a sacramental community. We are primarily a worshipi= ng community. God acts on our behalf in the broken body of Jesus. God acts on = our behalf in our baptism. The cross reminds us of Christ’s love for the world. This is space uniquely transparent to the transcendent in such a var= iety of ways.

So how does the creation of a society of rooms come to be? It happens in the feeding of our souls in the spaces. It happens in Christ. It does not happe= n by theories of management. Paul in his letter to the church at Ephesus, has this wonderful, chaotic vi= ew of the church. The church is building; the church is people; and you can journ= ey back and forth between the two realities. This traveling church is invested with sacred aura. It belongs to God; it is nourished by God; it exists by t= he actions of God. The whole of its life is sacred and carries meaning. It is a living organism of matter and spirit wedded together, shaped by the presence and guidance of the Spirit.

Paul says that Christ is the cornerstone of the whole experience. That is, Christ sets the pattern for the church’s behavior and attitudes. The church, must then, pay attention to Christ! The values formed by being respectful of each other, modeled after Christ’s relationships with people and with= God the Father. But Paul knew we needed additional guidance. The church, he say= s, is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets. We pay attention to their teachings. We immerse ourselves in the teachings until our lives and relationships are shaped by the teachings; until our buildings are shaped by the teachings; until our bodies and interior selves are shaped by the teachings.

So you must take a journey to the Church House, where hopefully the immersion = in the teachings takes place. Of course it can take place many other places as well. But if it does not take= place in the Church House, we have to question whether we are truly a sign of God’s presence in this world, and why did we spend four and half mill= ion dollars? So, who would you like to spend time with in the Church House R= 11; sharing stories, supporting people in crisis and in grief? Who would you like to be in conver= sation with about matters of faith and how faith matters in the 21^st century? Who would you like to sit with in the strengthening of your interi= or resources needed for living productive and meaningful lives without fear in= the 21^st century?

And what about those expansive, silent, white spaces on the upper level of the Church House? It is stunning space for people to have conversations, adults with adults and adults with children. It is designed for interactive experiences that create intimacy and even dialogue with the rooms themselve= s! Someone has said: “We cannot just be ourselves alone. We have to inte= r-be with every other thing. Ask for what you need from this church to help feed your soul. Amen.