Sacred Roots Workshop

62 Sacred Roots Workshop: Retr ieving the Great Tradi t ion in the Contemporary Church

6. In spiritual formation we embody the Story together through the disciplines of the Word, of prayer, of silence and contemplation, and others, all structured and informed by our living the Christ life through the Church Year.

7. In counseling and soul care , we enable others to under- stand their own life stories in juxtaposition to God’s Story, allowing them to see the intersection between God’s purposes and their every day lives.

8. In our service and outreach , we express the Story’s meaning through acts of hospitality and generosity, sharing the Good News of the Story to those within our circles of life ( oikos ).

D. The Church is an eschatological community, being both the Locus and Agent of the Kingdom of God.

1. As locus , the Church is itself living proof, a concrete cosmic visual aid as to the splendor of God’s grace, and as the very body of Jesus in the world: Churches are concrete evidence of the Heavenly Realm.

a. To be tangible concrete evidence that the rule of God and his victory in Christ continues upon the earth, Phil 2.14-16.

b. To be a dwelling place of God in the Spirit, with Christ as the cornerstone, Eph. 2.19-22

2. As agent , the Church is the community of faithful witness, called to show and tell in concrete form what the Kingdom is and does in this in-between time: Churches are outposts of the Kingdom of God.