In my prior post I laid out some of the vision for what Midrash is and does. Midrash looks different as we host different kinds of events, but Midrash is always creating forums for providing commentary on culture, fostering discussions that may debate ideas, but valuing the persons involved in the dialogue, and pointing out some of the spiritual aspects of this culture we’re swimming in.

Darrin’s sermon on Nov. 8 was a challenge and an inspiration to us to live out, with courage and sacrifice, the kind of love for our neighbors and our city that makes St. Louis a better place. I hope you take up that challenge. There are a lot of ways to do so. One way is dropping by the upcoming Theology at the Bottleworks discussion. We’ll be getting nitty gritty and local as we discuss A Long Hard Look at St. Louis on Wednesday, November 18 at the Schlafly Bottleworks. Crime, poverty, race relations, the city/county divide and viable urbanism are among the points we’ll ponder together. What makes a city good or great? Is St. Louis doomed to its status quo or is renewal and racial reconciliation possible? Gathering with people who see our city in different ways to discuss its strengths and weaknesses is a way to get started on knowing St. Louis and thinking of ways to help change it for the better.

It seems that most people gather with like-minded friends to agree on their rightness and others’ wrongness on the important issues of our day. At Midrash events you’ll usually find a lot of diversity of views and opinions. As we talk with and listen to each other, and explore issues that matter to all of us, we can learn some things, if we want to – maybe about the issue du jour, maybe about the reasons for others’ thinking on this issue, maybe more about the people who view the world without any belief in or understanding of God and his place in our world. There are a lot of fascinating, enjoyable and important conversations to be had during and after the typical Theology at the Bottleworks. These conversations can also be unpredictable, challenging, and messy. They can lead to practical inspiration and education; they can lead to deeply spiritual matters; they can lead you to a new friendship with someone outside of your usual circles. We, in Midrash, believe that God can use all of the above as threads in the tapestry of reconciliation and redemption that He wants us to help him weave among and around the people in our city.