The good news is that the Church always contains the seeds of its revival. Our prayer book’s emphasis on the ministry of all the baptized, for instance, is a gift we have only begun to open.
The Church, the gathered people of God, is where lives are transformed. As we encounter the power of the Spirit through word and sacrament, we are changed.
When a person is deeply saturated and formed in the Scriptures and symbols of the Christian tradition, she can creatively adapt and remake them in new settings — with soldiers on deployment, in an emergency room, with a couple in counseling.
Tomorrow’s Church “knows God/Bible/liturgy” with those doing Jesus’ work outside Church walls: seeking the Holy Spirit already active in their communities and joining in, remembering every “do” from Jesus.
Showing up — for God, for each other, for a community greater than ourselves — is a discipline. It is a huge part of what it means to be the Church.