I issue a challenge to our church: let's get as few cars as possible at church on a Sunday morning. That is not to say that no one should come to church on a Sunday morning (a discussion for a different day). Rather, are there better ways to get there?
As I rode the new W Light Rail Line en route to church this past Sunday, I got to thinking about the concept of Sabbath. For, one of the most common benefits ascribed to personal motorized transport is time and convenience. It strikes me that the Sabbath is a wonderful opportunity to step outside that worldview, to move about at a more measured pace, to see the world anew through inconvenience, inefficiency, and *gasp* boredom.
Taking 80 minutes to get to church gave me time to think. And, I was also able to get my first smell of the season's lilacs (as I biked from Yale Station to church). That was a pleasant surprise. I probably won't get as much "done" today, and I am learning to accept the importance of that.
The automobile has its time and place, certainly. Traveling with a young family or traveling with mobility issues are well served by this technology. New cars are tending to be easier on the Earth (though there numbers continue to grow). I would be a hypocrite to say that you should never drive again (I love road trips).
Nevertheless, there are other ways to get to church that afford the opportunity of happenstance while minimizing your carbon footprint. You can:
1. Ride public transportation. Use the Trip Planner Function on the RTD website.
2. Walk. This is about as straightforward as it gets.
3. Ride your bike. The Highline Trail literally goes right past First Plymouth. Denver has a map of bike routes and bike lanes, too. Follow safe biking protocol.
4. Arrange a carpool.
5. Telecommute. At the moment, this is still hypothetical. But what if we could stream the worship service, or organize church meetings via video chat?
6. Is church just a place? How can we re-envision the covenantal missional church to sprout forth in new and diverse ways?
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Photo: Denver Post, April 2013.
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