Chapel on the Ave - Seattle, WA - April 5th, 2011

     Chapel on the Ave is a building right on the main street near the University of Washington. The center is a ministry from Trinity Lutheran Church to the University of Washington campus and area around the Ave. Yesterday would be my second time visiting this place. The last time I visited was a few years ago when my girlfriend and I volunteered there.

    The people are very kind, most are post graduate like me, and overall pretty easy to talk too. I arrived when the shared meal was ending and talked about school and East Asia with them for a while (one of the folks had been to Korea). After, the service began.

   The music was mostly Taizé in honor of Lent and reflection. I never tire of these ecumenical hymns, that are so simple and beautiful in their sound and message. They are like Zen koans given music in some cases. It's in that place where the images flow and the words have their greatest effect as I think upon the different meanings their might be, or just being present with them.

     After song the Campus Minister did his sermon on the blind man who Jesus made able to see. This was the second time hearing this story and I'm guessing for the time around the Fourth Sunday of Lent all Churches who follow Lent are probably using this story. Lent really is following the Gospel of John and the lead-up to the death and Resurrection of Jesus. His Gospel is all about Jesus as Messiah dying for people's sins...at least that's the main interpretation I have heard of his Gospel.

     The Pastor took a different approach then the Deacon at Saint Benedict. He focused on where the blind man had to wash the mud off his eyes. The pool is the pool of Siloam, which in Hebrew means sent. The pool is not the final destination, it sends people forward. Which in the sermon the preacher said was to preach Jesus as Messiah.

     He then brought up to the eight of us there, how to help people who aren't Christian be Christian. Now compared to the Hellfire sermons of Mars Hill where you have a man throwing stones at glass houses not willing to look at his own mistakes or the mistakes of his faith...this group was quite different.

   "People get blinded by the evil some Christians have done throughout history."
   "People get blinded by the actions of Christians in the media who do not act like Christians (the Quran burner, Westbro, ect.)."

   Most of what was said was based in personal responsibility. Not, "We hold the only way and those who do not are condemned to Hell because they are not as blessed as us."

    Because of the peoples actions there in that conversation I felt at peace hearing that conversation. They were coming from a place of compassion.

   I don't know many people who convert out of fear. The only conversions that come out of fear are when those speaking in God's name are using force...be it the inquisition, blasphemy laws, or using secular laws for religious ends. A person being an example of what they believe their God to be and do in those situations is nothing more then tyrant. No wonder so many people leave the faith if they grow up with men like and that.

   This is one reason why Chapel on the Ave was so wonderful. There was the ministry of conversion, but it was truly there with the action of listening, responsibility and integrity...just like Saint Benedict Episcopal Church and some other amazing places I've visited since creating this blog.