Renovating the Spiritual House

"It's hard to be a Christian." These are the words that Pastor Phil Kniss opened his sermon with. He was not talking about persectution, although that is certainly a reality in some parts of the world. No, Pastor Phil was talking about how hard it is to live as a follower of Christ in our day-to-day life. He encouraged us to join a new monastic movement. 1 Peter 2:1-12 calls us to be built into a new spiritual house, not as individuals but as a community. The Benedictine monks follow a rule of life which calls them to a life of prayer and work. This rule of life developed as Christians came together to figure out how to live as the Roman Empire crumbled around them. Arguably, we live in a similar time, with an "empire" crumbling around us. New monasticism is taking shape now in North America. We can learn from, and be shaped by, the examples of those who have committed their lives to radically following Jesus.