Being broken over the broken

I don't have much time to write, so I'll get to the point.

We just finished the first chapel, the opening communion service. I don't even know how to respond, I thought about waiting to post/journal/anything until I had time to collect my thoughts, but my fear is that if I wait my thoughts will cease to be clear. Not that they are clear now, I feel as if my heart was just ripped from my chest, as if the very heart of God was shown to me and it now burns within me.

I can't even begin to explain what happened in chapel, a play by play would not do it justice, nor would an audio recording. Being in that room, whith those people, worshipping God, truly worshipping God, with our hearts blows my mind. Yes, it shatters my paradigm everytime I enter that place. But today was different. I was broken, I wept and prayed in groans that only the Spirit knows, others wept and prayed in those same groans, because words will not do. Not Praying and weeping for us, but for the suffering of others, for the victims of katrina, for the starving in Niger, for those caught in the warn torn region of Iraq and others around the globe. The sobs arose from the congregation like the heart of God being poored back to him. We were communing, taking the Eucharist in rememberance of him. Declaring his death until he comes! The whole time realizing that he desires mercry, not sacrifice. Thinking: "What if repentance isn't about my personal bahavior management and more about being broken over the broken" (J.D. Walt, Dean of the Chapel).

And there we were, being broken over the broken. Some may attribute it to an emotional response, but I think it was something other than that. I believe it was the Holy Spirit moving in our midst, breaking us over the brokenness of others. Grafting us into the heart of God. Ripping out our hearts and placing in us the heart of Christ.

My heart has always been tender to those who are suffering, I have often wept for them, been burdened to pray for them, and give to them. But today was differnt. My perspective has changed. One could say that this is just a temporary, emotional, response; my reaction is I guess we'll see. But I truly believe that God met us in those elements today. That God spoke to us and that God did a work in this community, the likes of which I haven't seen. This community is open to the things of God, it is open to changing for him and hearing him speak. This is a good community to be formed in. I truly believe that here most people's hearts break for the things of God. This is good. After all: "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness [or mercy], and to walk humbly with your God?" (Micah 6:8 NRSV)