In Shambles and Ruins

Before St. Francis became a saint and was simply Francis, he set out to become a knight who would do glorious battle.  On the eve of the battle, he heard a voice say, "Return to Assisi, and what you are to do next will be revealed to you."  He went and ended up in the chapel at San Damiano which was in shambles.  As he meditated on the Crucifix which watched over the ruins, he heard a voice saying three times, "Francis, go and repair my house.  You see it is falling down."  ("Chasing Francis"  by Ian Morgan Cron).  Francis on his way to becoming St. Francis rebuilt the church, a few others, and is even credited with re-building or restoring the Roman Catholic Church which was in spiritual shambles.    

As I read through this book a second time, I could not help but think about the way the church which nurtured me toward faith, baptized me, and ordained me lies in shambles.  I wonder if there is anyone like Francis out there who has has heard a call to rebuild it.  There are plenty of people out there with ideas about how to reshape the larger church known now as the United Methodist Church into something better than it is in the present moment.   Regardless of how the ecclesiastical pie is divided, it remains a sad and troubling time for a church filled with the rancor of us and them.    

While it seems inevitable that the church as it is will soon no longer exist, it gives cause to wonder how it could be rebuilt.  Unlike the church which was in ruins around Francis, the one we know in our day as United Methodist will require something more than one skilled in laying stone, but someone skilled through the power of the Holy Spirit to rebuild and restore its soul.