An Ecclesiology of Weathering

I am not a scientific person by nature, but I do think this thought could be profoundly helpful for the church, at least when it is thought-out more completely. When I began posting less than two weeks ago I mentioned that my goal is to begin discussing that an advanced pneumatology is necessary for us to gain any sort of real ecclesiology. Without the Spirit, I believe there is no church. That being said, I propose we begin an ecclesiology of weathering.

This is a bit metaphorical, but I am also quite serious about it, though it is being worked out as I type. My thought last night as I drove home from school was along the lines of pneuma, and how Spirit is also wind. In the natural world, wind plays a fascinating role. Though I now plan to read-up on this, I will share my initial thoughts and see if they change in the next few months. What I know is that wind is an invisible, but felt, sign that change is literally in the air. As the wind blows, there is a simultaneous sending away of one weather pattern and an ushering in of another. In Biblical categories, we could say that the wind both sends and calls. As it brings these different weather patterns through, the world is impacted and changed. Rocks are weathered, grass is watered. Seasons come and go appropriately. There are tornadoes and sunsets. Such is the way weather changes the world, and each form of weather is ushered in and out by the wind.

As people guided by the Spirit, I am thinking that this has potentially profound implications for our ecclesiology, which of course impacts every aspect of what it means to be the church. The Spirit both calls us into things and out of other areas. We are a sent-out and a called-into people, as the Kingdom weather front continues to be ushered nearer to now. It is when we are in tune with the Wind of God that we make an impact in our world. And the Wind itself makes the biggest impact. We are the people formed from the dust of the earth, but as a strong winds continues to blow dust around, rocks are weathered and trees can be fertilized.

Perhaps the church's role in life, then, is to act like a fair-weather sailboat. We put up our sail, catch a strong breeze, and continue to realize how much easier, not to mention more exciting, it is to go with the wind than against it.

Tom Waits sang "Blow, wind blow. Wherever you may go...Take me away. Take me out into the night. Take me out into the night." I agree wholeheartedly. Hopefully I can take this further as I think it through more fully.

Peace,
Matt