At the Journey Warehouse we call our gathering space “the living room.” I love the image because the living room is where a family does life together. We make it cozy, we make it represent who we are, and we claim it as our own. Over this past year Journey’s living room has been transformed into a garden, a threshold archway, a waterfall, and even the wonderful world of Oz. These transformations represent where we as a community, a family, are going together.

This week the living room has become a bit of Treasure Island, complete with a Pirate’s Lair, Tiki Hut, and Jungle. The children have claimed the space for themselves as they sail across the seas as merchants and dance to rousing choruses of “The Pirates Who Don’t Do Anything.” As they explore what things God wants them to treasure, they have grown comfortable in the space and it has become their own. While at times this familiarity might be chaotic, there is something special about knowing the kids feel safe and at home in the living room.

I’ve worked in churches before that made rules about where -- and more importantly where not -- children could be in the church. Church councils would pass rules barring children from the sanctuary or the fellowship time. The kids were kept hidden in the basement – far, far away from the adults. And the kids knew that they were not wanted, that the church was not a place where they were truly welcomed or safe.

So I am so grateful for the community at Journey embracing its members of all ages. For saying to children, teens, and adults alike that “this is your home, come on in and relax, let this place represent you.”