Wonderful insights below from Noah Cremisino (New Zealand) on the parallels between marriage and church. Properly understood, the return to the church in the home is really a return to the Jewish roots of our faith. A great resource on this is Marvin Wilson's book Our Father Abraham: The Jewish Roots of the Christian Faith.John
I love how all of this marriage and church stuff has such parallels. Coincidence? I think not.
In Jewish wedding tradition, a marriage ceremony takes place under what's called a Chuppah. While we see a new union or marriage starting during the ceremony, beneath the chuppah the Jews actually saw a new "home" being established.
The "specs", if you will, of this home would be as follows:
1. Hospitality - the chuppah is open on all 4 sides just as the tent of Abraham and must remain open to all guests with warmth. It communicates a service oriented, servant-hearted feel.
2. Empty - the chuppah contained nothing other than the bride and groom themselves, communicating that PEOPLE are the important factor here and are the actual HOME (not the many things inside). This also communicates intimacy, and that the home/family is a place where everything is sacred and nothing is gossip.
3. Covering - the chuppah also had a thin cloth covering - this represented the glory of God presiding over the new couple/home/covenant - and also served as a reminder that the whole process was originated by God and therefore it is holy.
I think these 3 ideas can also be applied to CO2/Home Church in many ways...
Thoughts?
More on chuppah: http://www.reference.com/browse/chuppah
I love how all of this marriage and church stuff has such parallels. Coincidence? I think not.
In Jewish wedding tradition, a marriage ceremony takes place under what's called a Chuppah. While we see a new union or marriage starting during the ceremony, beneath the chuppah the Jews actually saw a new "home" being established.
The "specs", if you will, of this home would be as follows:
1. Hospitality - the chuppah is open on all 4 sides just as the tent of Abraham and must remain open to all guests with warmth. It communicates a service oriented, servant-hearted feel.
2. Empty - the chuppah contained nothing other than the bride and groom themselves, communicating that PEOPLE are the important factor here and are the actual HOME (not the many things inside). This also communicates intimacy, and that the home/family is a place where everything is sacred and nothing is gossip.
3. Covering - the chuppah also had a thin cloth covering - this represented the glory of God presiding over the new couple/home/covenant - and also served as a reminder that the whole process was originated by God and therefore it is holy.
I think these 3 ideas can also be applied to CO2/Home Church in many ways...
Thoughts?
More on chuppah: http://www.reference.com/browse/chuppah
My impression of these 3 ideas and CO2 are: listening to one another and listening to the Lord are very reflective of a covering which allows the Lord to preside and emptiness that allows the focus to be on the people. I am not sure CO2 as I experience it now is very hospitable. It is hospitable between two, but seems somewhat closed for a brief season. Can anyone tell me some stories of how CO2 has been hospitable beyond the two participants? Does it need to be? What would it look like?
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