The Only Restriction

This is me coming at ya! The monastery does not have a lot of restrictions regarding Christian beliefs - just that you believe in the life and ministry of Jesus. This should be obvious! They understand this means it is a highly personal relatioship; giving much latitude to the "ways" and "means" of private worship and "belief."
So, this is me coming at ya! Recently, a friend talked about not feeling the need to worship in a church. I emailed her back - talking about the ancient Christian establishment and how important it was to have community... and for most people that means church life. Worshiping together as The Body of Christ. Sounds nice, doesn't it? And, do not get me wrong - I think it IS very nice. Thing is, I really do not think it is neccessary - at all. Not even a little bit. For many people, it is necessary as we are social creatures and the added benefit of worship in a group setting is valuable. But - really - DOES this bring you closer to God? I stressed to my friend that living the life we are called to live includes living near and working with people we also do not like tremendously. And, how - if one is apart from a group, how DO you learn to love that neighbor --- if you don't have them? I still hang on that one. But, I do think that the "neighbor" is everywhere.
I happen to like attending church - because it has become a "thin place" for me. It is also apparaent that it is NOT a "thin place" for others. I have this feeling that the push for everyone to attend church (or feel guilty as all heck) is a bid to pay the electric bill! And, if the church is to keep its doors open - the electric bill DOES need to be paid.
Another point to consider is that some people need more structure than others. If they didn't sit in the pew every Sunday, they might well forget that God "is" at all! However, I also don't think that pew-sitting lends a lot to these people - the ones content on chucking a can of green beans in the plastic blue bin on the way into the sanctuary and calling that ministry! A lot of those. At the same time, I am not saying MUCH about this, since it surely isnt up to me to go that "good" and "bad" route.
In a nutshell - church can feed many; the masses. Is it neccesary? Not one whit! And so, the only restriction in "being a Christian" is to live as Jesus did. Afterall, the word Christian comes from the Greek meaning "little Christ." Next time you mention that you are a Christian, if you have trouble saying "I am a little Christ," perhaps you should avail yourself to the learning opportunitites and the group worship that churches can offer. Like AA or NA - these institutions can help you find that "thin space" where little christs are remembered - again.