Where to start? The Archbishop speaks.

Occasionally, religious-leader-big-wig types get together and talk about how things are going, encourage each other and pray for one another. Okay, I actually don't know what bishops and archbishops and cardinals talk about when they get together, other than what's reported out. Though part of me thinks they talk about theologically deep and complex matters (they probably do), another part of my (the real-person-part) thinks maybe they just talk about the highs and lows of living the spiritual life. That's what I like to do with my clergy pals.

I thought of this when a report came out on the ELCA news service a couple of months ago about ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton's February visit to church dignitaries in London, Geneva and Rome. These visits do the important work of building up the ecumenical body of Christ, but, frankly, reading about them is usually pretty dry.

Which is why it surprised me when a couple of lines about Bishop Eaton's conversation with the Archbishop of Canterbury caught my eye and resonated in my heart.

The Archbishop of Canterbury is the leader of the Anglican Church in England, and that's about all I know about him. But Bishop Eaton must have known more, for she asked him to recommend a spiritual practice for ELCA member to grown in their lives of faith. What would you expect a leader of a global church to say? Prayer? Frequent worship attendance? Bible study? Acts of service and mercy?

Instead, he said this, "Start where people are, not where you think they should be."

Huh. Start with where people are, not where you think they should be. I thought about all the times in my own life of faith where I have thought, "Gosh I really need to be reading through the whole Bible," or "I should be spending a longer time in prayer." Those things might be true, but they may not be where I am. They may not be where you are.

I don't know exactly what the Archbishop meant, but I'm guessing it means something like this. Pay attention to your energy, your dreams and your heart. Listen for where the Spirit of God is really nudging you - maybe it's the feeling that you need to reach out to a certain friend or the sense that a particular book/podcast/event is calling your name  - whether it's explicitly "religious" or not.

For me, starting where we are means identifying the ways that God shows up and works in every part of our lives. It's about finding and living out God's calling everywhere, anywhere.

The Archbishop's words are also missional in the very best way. Maybe the people we know and love (or don't know) should be in church on Sunday but they aren't (especially during an Alaskan summer). What should we do? Start with where they are. You get to discern what this means in your setting. You get to discern what this means in your own journey of faith.