After twenty-some years, the brick walkway in front of our house had become a danger for visitors. Trees had grown, water channels had eroded, and bricks had heaved and sunk. What was once a beautiful, welcoming path had become a hazard. So this week, Shawn pulled up all the bricks to expose the foundation.
And I realized that this is an apt metaphor for St. Luke’s and really all churches right now. The pandemic has swept away all the things we once were. We are left now with a bare foundation. A strong foundation. The very foundation of our church is individual prayer, bible study, serving our neighbors, sharing love, and worshiping together. These foundational things, we have been able to do throughout the pandemic (albeit sometimes in new ways).
As we enter the summer of 2021, St. Luke’s is at this foundation point. Over the next few years, we will begin to build up our path again. The pandemic has given us a precious opportunity. It is an incredibly rare gift to have everything we once knew as “church” taken away — and to find out we are STILL church.
I am excited and energized about rebuilding our church path from the foundation up. We can rebuild stronger, more welcoming, easier entry, gentler slopes. We can rebuild with a combination of original building materials along with new. We have the opportunity to change direction if needed, or add new features.
Right now, we are firm on our foundation of prayer, bible study, serving others, sharing love and worshiping together. Brick by brick, we will rebuild a stronger St. Luke’s nurtured in Jesus that welcomes radically, serves gratefully, and loves abundantly.
stlukesdurham.org 