Two events coming up this weekend may seem completely disconnected, but actually they have much in common.  One is tomorrow’s Habitat build day.  It will be the first time on the site of the third house we are helping to overhaul.  Yes, we have already completed “The House that Grace Built,” and then “Unity House” in partnership with the Muslim service organization.  Now it’s time to start again with a new, as-yet-to-be-determined theme, so do consider joining in, if not tomorrow, then on another upcoming Saturday listed below. 

Personally, I have found the Habitat build days to be immensely satisfying.  At the end of the day you can look at some good thing that wasn’t there before and say to yourself, “I did that.”  It may be a section of hardwood floor, or a wall of plaster board, or an open driveway cleared of rubble.  We do this work for others, and in the company of other Grace Church parishioners.  In so doing we help to build up our neighbors, and we build up the spirit of our own community.  It is concrete spirituality.  Indeed, spirituality does not always have to concern itself with intangibles.  Sometimes it’s all about wood and nails, plaster and paint, and don’t forget power tools.

The second event is the Sunday Forum in which Professor Nick Birns will be comparing and contrasting two types of spirituality, as lived out by two medieval women.  Julian of Norwich was a cloistered nun whose spirituality was private and inward.  In other words, it’s not likely you’d find her volunteering for Habitat build day.  But that’s fine.  Hers were different gifts, and she left a remarkable legacy.  On the other hand, Margery Kempe, “a sometime brewer of beer,” might be there swinging a hammer with the best of them, then insisting we not part company until we enjoyed a cold one together at some local watering hole.  It takes all types.  See below for more information about both events. 

See you in church.