Sorry to be on a David Ramirez kick, but his concert last night, at a packed and noisy Railway Club in Vancouver, was captivating.

They say that Johnny Cash's discography could be separated into three categories: Love, God, and Murder. The same is true of Ramirez' songs. I love finding an artist who is able to sing of heartache and heart-joy with beauty and grace.

One of my favourite of his lyrics, and there are many, says:

"Well I can't come to Church cause of my dirty mouth
I wasn't invited to the party, I'm too f#cking devout
I'm always walking the line
Between cocaine and communion wine
You know I'm dead either way
So what's all the fuss about?"

"Hold On"

There's the tension we live in. Not welcome to be honest in the Church, and not welcome to be holy in the world. Not able to hold these two together, for some strange reason, and not able to find a true communion in either place. The Church isn't exactly saying "Come in, be you, be with us, let's be one together." And none of the pursuits of the flesh are doing the trick either.

Can we create space, maybe at our tables, for both honesty and holiness? Can we actually share a communion that matters?