the lower room

This Sunday, March 5, the lower room will graduate from an idea to a real thing.  We’re not sure what kind of thing it will be yet, but it will be a thing.  Work on the room itself is progressing, in spite of all the recent setbacks and schedule-drama.  Furniture is trickling in as we speak.  This week will be a grand experiment.  We will more than likely not have a meal, as the space just won’t be ready for it, but we intend to have communion, some open worship time, and a short teaching and discussion time.  Please come Sunday at 5:00 PM and be prepared for anything.

-eli

You can find out the latest on Ray Renner’s condition at the Morning Star website.  Please pray.

Some have asked about the idea behind the name “the lower room”. Apart from the obvious fact that our meeting place is a basement, I think that there is deeper symbolism we can all get behind.

First, we have the contrast with “the Upper Room”, a location where Jesus and his disciples met in Jerusalem, and where the disicples essentially hid after his crucifixion. I think that it is significant that after Jesus left the scene and sent the Holy Spirit, the upper room fades from the story. To me, it’s as if the upper room had served its purpose, and now the disciples were dispersed to the ends of the known world to spread the good news of Jesus. Compare that to where the church is today. In many ways, the church has retreated back into an upper room of its own. Not confident enough in their faith to do anything but avoid the world. Waiting and hoping that Jesus will come to them once again and show them his nail holes before they venture out. Content to send out a little money here and there and to sponsor the occasional brave soul who will go.
Second, the metaphor of Heaven comes to mind. I don’t know what your concept of Heaven is, and I don’t intend to give you one, but I like the idea that the earth is truly “the lower room” when compared to Heaven. Its an area full of people searching, wishing, sitting, waiting for something better. It’s the room I think we are called to live in.

What are your thoughts?

T minus 28 days…

-eli

Over on my personal blog today, Mark Rouse left an exciting comment.  You can read it here.  The upshot of it is that Mark is considering/planning to do a series of paintings on the Stations of the Cross.  He has suggested that he would like for us to display the paintings in series (when he gets them completed) on one of the walls of our meeting space.  I took him up on the offer (now you’re on the hook, Mark).  I have also asked an artist in our midst to consider doing a painting of John 8:1-11 on one of our walls.

In related news, we now have 2 couches, 2 chairs, and 2 end tables committed to the space.  Please consider what else you might be able to donate.

T minus 29 days and counting…

-eli

Where are we coming from? Some have asked. With about a month to go until our first meeting, I thought I would offer some resources to whet your appetite. I am including amazon.com links only for your convenience. We don’t make any money from amazon. You may well find some of these at your local library. I am being careful here not to inlude anything too academic, although if you are into that kind of depth, I can suggest some things there as well. Anyway, here goes…

• The Lost Message of Jesus – Steven Chalke
• A Generous Orthodoxy – Brian McLaren
• A New Kind of Christian – Brian McLaren
• Emerging Worship – Dan Kimball
• Searching for God Knows What – Donald Miller

These books are like nothing you have read before (unless you have already read them). They will challenge you at times, and at other times, they may resonate with you. Either way, I suggest you read them one at a time, and with an open mind, being careful to pray about what you are reading.

T-minus 30 days and counting…

-eli