Plastic bag in front of Trinity by the Sea On a recent trip to Austin, I was surprised and delighted not to be handed a plastic bag when I checked out of a grocery store. I wasn't buying much, so I was able to carry out my things without remembering to bring in my reusable bags. For some time now, I've gotten in the habit of turning down plastic bags in convenience stores when they try to put my humble bag of sunflower seeds, lonely, in another bag. The plastic grocery bag has become like a handshake at the end of the deal: it seems to make the shopping experience complete. It is such an ingrained habit, that the person behind the cash register sometimes gets a suspicious look when I ask for no bag, as if thinking, "This yahoo is threatening our way of life!" I think about habits a lot, as a Christian of the Episcopal persuasion. Our practices and our experiences in everyday life shape the way we understand our relationship with God, with others, and with ours...
I've heard the story about St. Francis hearing God's
call to rebuild the church: first he went out to stack old bricks of a
ruined church, only later did he come to realize that God was speaking
metaphorically. 
He went on to rebuild not that particular pile of rocks, but to revitalize The Church. I bet that he learned some important lessons about
rebuilding The Church as he sat alone stacking rock on rock, first
clearing away the overgrowth, then selecting the bricks. We learn by doing. Metaphors work because the experiences are how we learn. 
The broad brushstroke lesson is that
church communities have to be tended, looked after, and cared for just
like church buildings. We had an amazing work day. Much more work got accomplished than I expected in a single morning. 
Cleaning out the sacristy, inventorying hurricane protection panels,
and replacing rotten shutter boards (a process with many steps) is
important work. Those tasks we accomplished, the things that just needed to be done are now off the check list. But, the conversations, the sharing of hydrating fluids,
and the relationships build while doing those things is even more
important. The more important work was the relationships. 
I'm thankful to everyone who came out to Trinity by
the Sea Saturday to work away at the to-do list (and to the women who
served yet another Saturday at the Second Time Around Shop); many hands
make light work, as the saying goes. And doing the work with friends
makes it even lighter.
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