Changing spaces

I was talking with my advisor the other day. He has been working at the seminary for 37 years. He jokingly states that he has been here longer than most of the furniture (he's probably right). But he did have a very interesting observation.

This year the seminary decided to set aside a space specifically devoted to prayer. We already have two chapels, but those are occasionally used by classes or by the musicians for practice and so they aren't the best places for quiet time with God. The space that they chose is just off of the smaller chapel, between two sets of double doors in what used to be the main entrance to the seminary. Once upon a time, this space was a pass-through, one of the most highly traveled portions of the seminary. Now, it has become an out-of-the-way quiet space.

How often do we hold onto things of the past, asking them to fill roles that they are no longer able to fill? Ministies of the Church which once were a major artery of the faith might now be more like a small side street. To be able to keep pace with this rapidly changing world, we must be aware enough to see that sometimes back roads become major highways, and vice versa.