We are the church

This is a picture of the steeple of Christ Church Cathedral, and Episcopal church on Monument Circle in Indianapolis. It sits right in the middle of the city, in the shadow of some very modern buildings.

We were sitting at a table outside of Starbucks last night. The couple next to us was talking about the city. He told her that Monument Circle was meant originally to be occupied by five churches. Everything in the city radiated out from this circle.

I love that image, that everything in the city radiated from its center, which was designed to be a religious center.

This church and this picture bring up two questions in my mind:

• Does what we do in our lives radiate from our faith? Is our faith at the center of our lives?
• What does it mean to be a church in a modern society? In some ways, this cathedral looked out of place in this modern city. It stood out -- everything about it screamed church. Is part of our role as a church today to demonstrate a different way? Does what we do scream out that we are the church?