Meditations with Pastor Tom (5/21/20)

""And [God] has put all things under his feet, and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all." ~ Ephesians 1:22-23    

            Recently, not having church has nudged me into thinking about church.  I certainly miss our gathering.  I sorely miss seeing my church family, and I definitely miss preaching in front of live people.  Giving a sermon to a camera just isn't the same.  Coming together as the body of Christ is vitally important, too.  The Bible explicitly tells us not to neglect meeting together and that the church is necessary for teaching and equipping - building disciples.

            But not being able to gather is a great opportunity for us to consider what the church is all about.  If we weren't able to congregate in one space for a long time, what would that mean to us? How would that change us?  Can we learn something from this separation that can make us better as a church?

            As much as we all adore our church building, we must always remember that the church was never ultimately about beautifully sculpted stone and magnificent stained glass windows.  It was always intended to be bigger than that.  It was about a way of being in the world.  It was about connecting people so that they could continue the work and mission of the church's leader - Jesus the Christ. 

            So, it seems obvious to me that the church's work and mission is defined and directed by its head, its master.  And if that's the case, we go horribly wrong not to look at Jesus' words and actions to inform and guide us.  Whatever he did, we ought to do.

            What did he do?  He fed the hungry, tended to the sick, and lifted up the weakest and most vulnerable.  He spoke hard truths to power.  He taught about God's will and saving grace.  He sacrificed.  Most of all, he loved in the most expansive way possible.  He did none of this from a church building. 

            Church was never supposed to be all about what we get out of it.  Again, church was supposed to be bigger than just that.  Church was also about doing Jesus' work in the world.  I'll never forget this question posed to me one time: If your church disappeared tomorrow, would anyone in your community, outside of your members, miss it? 

             I think this is a uniquely good time for us to consider our answer.

The Sermon this Sunday

A lesson I learned from an ugly confrontation.