The Rules of the Box

Today I had planned to sum up the week long reflection on the Gospel of Luke. I was not sure quite how to proceed. I admit the subject can be a bit confusing, or technical, and perhaps the relevance of the discussion is hard to see--- past all of the "academic" sounding nit picking.

So perhaps a story will help set the stage today. We recently purchased a new computer for the home. It came in a big box. Although pleased with the new computer, our children--12 and 8 years old--became enchanted with the box. They played in the box. And, in due time, being my children, they drew up guidelines for use of the box. I would like to share with you the "Rules of the Box"

1 The Box must be respected by all.

2 The Box must never be thrown away

3 Anyone can use the box

4 The Box cannot be occupied longer than one hour

5 You must spend 15 minutes between times spent in the Box

6 The Box must be put in its designated place after usage

7 You break the Box, you FIX the Box

8 You must sign the rules sheet before using the Box

9 Air holes cannot be blocked for more than a minute

10 Whoever is in the Box has the right to veto things stuffed in the Box

But the stuffing may continue until a protest is lodged

11 Anything may be brought into the Box

12 While in the Box you have little say in what is done with the TV or computer

13 You may not trap anyone in the Box. If they want out you help them

14 The Box shall not be used for punishment. It is a place of relaxation

15 You can use the Box for anything except a storage space

So there you have it. The Rules of the Box as drawn up by my children. They have signed the form and it is affixed to the Box.

So what does this have to do with Luke? I have argued that the driving motivation behind Luke's Gospel was to lift up the centrality of community--as opposed to doctrinal adherence. The mission of the community is laid out in Luke 4, executed by Jesus in his ministry until Jesus himself is executed. But Jesus is raised and appears to two disciples first as a stranger and then as himself in the moment that he "vanishes" from sight. What is left behind is a community called upon to break bread together as they work for the Kingdom of God, which is not comprised of "things" and "knowing" but is, in fact, among them as they recognize the risen Christ in their midst.

So back to the box. What if we were to take the same rules, but instead of "box" write "church"?

1 The Church must be respected by all.

2 The Church must never be thrown away

3 Anyone can use the Church

4 The Church cannot be occupied longer than one hour

5 You must spend 15 minutes between times spent in the Church

6 The Church must be put in its designated place after usage

7 You break the Church, you FIX the Church

8 You must sign the rules sheet before using the Church

9 Air holes cannot be blocked for more than a minute

10 Whoever is in the Church has the right to veto things stuffed in the Church

But the stuffing may continue until a protest is lodged

11 Anything may be brought into the Church

12 While in the Church you have little say in what is done with the TV or computer

13 You may not trap anyone in the Church. If they want out you help them

14 The Church shall not be used for punishment. It is a place of relaxation

15 You can use the Church for anything except a storage space

Ok, so they all don't translate exactly. But in many cases these rules seem quite fitting for being community in the Church, or anywhere else. We are losing, if we have not already lost, a sense of community pretty much everywhere. As a religious professional, I am increasingly sad that churches are more and more places of exclusion based upon doctrinal certainty rather than welcoming places based upon hospitality and compassion. Churches, like the box, should not be places where people feel trapped nor should churches be used for punishment. People should not have their air holes covered while in church...

Anyway... maybe you could give this some thought and comment on what Box rules you see as helpful for building community wherever you are and in what setting you think is important.

Now if you will excuse me... my fifteen minutes are up and I am going to get back into the Box.