BE The Church!

I'm not sure I have any readers of this blog anymore.  It has been some time since I have posted or posted on a regular basis.  This has been on my heart for a little while, so I decided to put it out there.  It will probably step on some toes, and it is as much for me as anybody.  Writing is very soothing for me so it may only be for my purpose alone, but maybe some of you will agree.  So here goes ....

Lately I have thought A LOT about being the church.  I've heard some sermons where the pastor has talked about being the church, and Aaron and I have talked about it.  What exactly does being the church mean?  I'm certainly no scholar and will never claim to be, but this is my best shot at describing what I think being the church means.  We, as Christians, go to church on Sunday mornings, Sunday nights, and Wednesday nights.  We go to church for choir practice, kid's church, drama practice, etc.  We go to church to play basketball or write cards to people who have recently visited.  We go to church to sing and to hear a sermon.  We go to church to fellowship with other believers.  All of these things are NOT bad.  I'm certainly not saying that at all.  What I'm saying is that it seems like so many times we are going to church instead of being the church.  We are good at being the church when a member has a baby or a death in the family.  Most of the time, the church provides meals for the families in these situations.  What I'm talking about is being the church to single mothers.  Why are we not providing meals for her family when she is out working late trying to make ends meet?  I'm talking about being the church to families going through the adoption process.  Are we walking beside them on their journey or is that out of our comfort zone?  I'm talking about being the church to those families in crisis.  Have we assembled a prayer night to pray for specific families in our congregation that are facing financial issues or divorce?  What about our communities?  Are we being the church to the homeless?  Are we going to them and inviting them to find the hope we have in Jesus?  What about the waitress that spilled your drink all over your brand new shoes?  Are we being the church and showing grace and forgiveness?  I dare say that most of us are not.  We have gotten good at going to church and doing church, but I believe we have absolutely lost sight of  being the church.

Is the church a place people feel comfortable sharing their problems?  So many people today keep their troubles or problems to themselves when we should be sharing them so that we can have the support of the people around us and be the support that someone else might need.  So many times the experiences we have are meant to better us, but they can also prove to be beneficial for others as well.  If you have experienced the pain of losing a child, find the person in your congregation who is experiencing that NOW and share your story of hope with them.  Or better yet, find the lady who is walking out of the abortion clinic in tears over what has just happened and share with her.  I'm sure there are some of the same feelings that the two of you would share.  I'm not saying I've gotten this figured out or am good at it, but I know that God definitely "has my number" when it comes to being the church.  It is time for the church to stand up and "visit orphans and widows in their affliction" (James 1:27b), and care for single mothers, homosexuals, the homeless, sinners ... this list could go on and on because we are an imperfect people living in an imperfect world.  The point here is this:  BE THE CHURCH and stop just going.