“When Third Place Is the Right Place”

Luke 24: 13-35; Acts 2: 42-47

Pastor Richard A. Peacock

Troy First United Methodist Church

April 10, 2005

One of my colleagues in the ordained ministry, Russ McReynolds, goes to McDonalds to write his sermons. He has done this for 30 years. That is the place where he concentrates, away from his office and family.

Victoria Bruce wrote her novel, No Apparent Danger, in the bay window of a café. After it was published, she gave a copy of her book to the owner of the café. She inscribed it with her thanks for the space she had used for the price of a latte.

Eric Funk frequented the same café and used the space every morning to work on math problems. When he moved to another state, he also thanked the owner of the café, saying that the café had been like a second home for three years.

Home is a good place. I like to come home after a vacation or work trip. I love the feeling of being home for the holidays. Home is the first place in our lives.

The second place is usually work or school. At work or school, we form friendships, socialize and spend a considerable chunk of the week. It’s a place where we learn or practice our vocation and earn money.

But home and work are not enough. Sometimes we need to get away from home or school and work.

We need a third place.

No one understands this better than Howard Schultz, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Starbucks, the coffee café. Schultz founded Star Bucks on the premise that Americans are missing a third place in their lives – a place that his coffee houses can fill.

While on a business trip to Italy, Schultz discovered that Italians were living remarkably balanced lives. He was impressed by the passion they brought to work and their times for rest and relaxation as well. He noticed that a great deal of their enjoyment was found in the camaraderie of Italy’s 200,000 coffee bars.

Because there was nothing similar in the United States, Schultz began to dream of establishing Italian-influenced third places where people could congregate. Howard Schultz hoped that after the first place of home and the second place of work, Americans would come to consider his coffeehouses to be their third place, a place to experience camaraderie.

He understood that in America, as well as in Italy, it’s not all about coffee; it’s about connection, conversation and community.

That’s the Starbucks’ Principle. And for many, it seems to be working.

So, here’s today’s question: How can we witness to the church as a “terrific third place” where good connections, conversations and community happen?

Why isn’t the church serving as a third place for many of our neighbors? Why do about 40% of Oakland County residents have no faith community?

The political writer, Peggy Noonan, was reminiscing about the visit of Pope John Paul II to his native Poland in 1979. Back then, Poland was still behind the Iron Curtain. Poland was officially atheist and communist. For decades Polish people had been exposed to nothing but atheism and communism.

So what did the thousands of Polish citizens want? How did they respond when they saw the Pope?

They shouted: “We want God. We want God.”

Human beings have “a heart for God”, which nothing else can satisfy.

Today’s Easter Gospel describes two disciples walking away from Jerusalem. They are defeated because Jesus, the One they thought would save them, has been crucified, dead and buried. The whole city, overcrowded with pilgrims coming to the Passover Feast, had thought that Jesus was the one to redeem Israel. Jesus had been a prophet in word and deed! But their hopes had been destroyed!

Even though the two discouraged disciples were wrapped up in their grief, they welcomed a stranger to walk and talk with them. They told him about the disastrous death of their hero.

The stranger opened up the scriptures for them, showed them how the Messiah would choose the way of nonviolent, suffering servanthood. …How the Messiah would bring deliverance in God’s way. …How the Messiah could’ve called on the armies of heaven, but didn’t. …How the Savior would be the Man for Others.

During that Bible study, the two disciple’s hearts burned with deep understanding. That Bible study was so thrilling!

So the two disciples invited “the stranger who knew his Bible” to eat with them. They gave him hospitality. And in the breaking of the bread, the disciples discovered that the stranger was actually the Risen Christ.

We could say that it was in an outdoor café, a place of connection, conversation and community, that the Easter Jesus met them. That café connection was so newsworthy, they ran back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples.

Over the next 50 days, the disciples created a Christian community characterized by justice, compassion and peace.

Their faith community is summarized in Acts 2: 44. “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and good and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.”

That verse of scripture, Acts 2: 44, influenced Karl Marx. When he was studying in London and writing his Communist Manifesto, he learned about the early Christian community. …how they shared all things in common. …how they distributed what they had to those who needed food, clothing, and shelter.

But Karl Marx looked around England and found that the Church wasn’t even close to being like that early Christian community characterized by justice, compassion and peace. That’s one reason he wrote his Communist Manifesto, which led to 70 years of authoritarian communism.

Back to the Bible. The early church, day by day, spent much time together, broke bread and ate with glad and generous hearts, praising God and creating goodwill in the wider community. And day by day, newcomers came into that third place.

My friends, Troy First is a third place for connection, conversation and community.

I usually get to the Middle School Sunday School Class while they are enjoying their refreshments and games in the Youth Room. The music is blaring, ping pong and air hockey are going strong, and youth are eating in the booths we obtained from the Dairy Queen. Most of all, there is conversation.

When we started last fall, the Youth Room was quieter. Coming from several schools, the sixth through eighth graders didn’t necessarily know each other. Now they are “much better acquainted.” We can describe the Youth Room as a third place – a place for connection, conversation and community.

I remember early one Sunday morning after the Jubellee Bells had finished warming up with Mrs. Dukes. She gave one ringer the box of donuts for the choir. Another youth said, “Down to the Youth Room.”

We can describe the Youth Room as a third place – a place for connection, conversation and community.

The Youth Room is so nice that Roger Klungle has suggested we need an adult room with games as well. Like next to the windows in the Christian Life Center Lower Level … shuffleboard inside and horseshoes outside.

What we have here at 6363 Livernois is a terrific third place.

Do you know someone who is looking for a third place?

What friends, relatives, associates and neighbors need a third place?

Who might be whispering, “We want God?”

How and when will you invite them to this terrific third place?

(Did you know that most people come here because someone invited them?)

This morning – let’s celebrate this building, this 1963, 1990 and 2004 building, as a terrific third place.

Let’s celebrate “being in third place” with our Affirmation of Faith.