James Duff September 21st 2014 ~ "Life on the verandah"
In this month’s Eternity Magazine, there is a ripping article on the back page written by a regular columnist Greg Clarke. Clarke writes about “Life on the verandah”. Sound boring? I must admit that it wasn’t the headline that got me hooked but the third paragraph. He talks about a verandah dweller being a person who has one foot in the safety of the house and the other foot outside it. This image is developed describing the verandah as a place on the edge of two things: our own place and everyone else’s.I have been struck how we often have large verges (the moat) and then a large fence (the wall) that seems impregnable. This takes away the power of the verandah space (castle). I haven’t always seen the architectural design of a home as a way of real engagement with our neighbours. I now have seen and believe through much reading, reflection and the ministry of the Elvira Oikos that it makes a lot of sense to view our houses through a lens of a metaphor that questions whether our homes reflect protection from a war, or a place of welcome and witness to the grace of God.Clarke writes about not just making the verandah a lounging pad but a launching pad for the gospel of Jesus. I know that Andy Howe has a wonderful dream of a verandah being made out the front of St Philips. I think this dream is well worth making a reality through the power of the Holy Spirit. It would reflect our belief (and the Bible’s), that the church is both a place to come inside to worship God, as well as a dynamic living organism that should always be outward-focused. The gospel is just too good to keep in-house. It needs to get out on the verandah and then down the street, lighting up dark, lost places and liberally sprinkling salt in the name of Jesus as it goes. Clarke encourages us to make the verandah do some work.Let’s pray and see how we can get a verandah up here at St Philips - and how you might be able to get your own verandah a bit readier this summer. Blessings James