Railside Redemption

Last week, I saw a former train station that now had a sign declaring “Railside Redemption”. Of course, I immediately wondered what kind of church had taken up residence there, only to chuckle to find out it was the recycle center for the region!

But it did get me thinking: where, in the midst of COVID-19, are the places where God’s saving grace found in Jesus Christ being experienced? If the church building is closed, where is the church as the Body of Christ now moving in communities, touching and changing lives?

When we go to the supermarket, are we attending the Grocery Store of Grace? When we get take-out from a restaurant, are we stopping by the Resurrection Restaurant? As we socially distance with friends on the porch, are we sitting at the Patio of Promise? Where, now, are you experiencing Holy Ground, that place where you are surprised by a God who shows up to offer new life in the most unusual ways in the most common of places? More importantly, how are YOU, as you move in the world, bringing the light of God to the forgotten corners of human existence?

The Holy Spirit has pushed us out of our church buildings and into our streets. We can no longer close the doors of our church buildings—or our hearts—to the sufferings of our neighbors. Our hymn singing can no longer drown out the cries of the poor. Our offerings no longer need to prop up a building that has had decades of deferred maintenance but instead can build much needed ministries that can transform individuals, families, communities, and a world as we seek to bring healing as Christ’s hands to a broken world.

Wear a mask. Stay safe.