TLR

(acronyms abound...) Tonight I attended a Bible Jam Session at the Living Room, a new ministry developing in West Midtown. This movable feast, which has met on rooftops and in restaurants, literally met in a Living Room last night. There were twenty of us from various walks of life, though many are in the ministry or academy. The music was a combination of songs by some of my favorites, like Sufjan Stevens and Derek Webb, plus a few powerful, meditative originals.

The discussion was on the story of Jesus' washing the disciples' feet, and this little nugget emerged for me: what would it look like if congregations held the practice of footwashing in the same esteem as we do communion? How would that begin to shape our life together, this intimate knowledge of each other's callouses, warts, hangnails, bunions? Would we be willing to let ourselves be served in such a way?

At the heart of that gospel story is that God loves us so dearly that God wants to serve us. Could any of us stand the intensity of that love up close?

I find myself drawn to these intimate gatherings, but not fully. I am still deeply in love with the ritual and shape of a more traditional faith community. So for now, I am both at home and a stranger in both worlds.