Abraham Lincoln once said, "If all the people who fell asleep in church on Sunday morning were laid out end to end … they would be a great deal more comfortable."
When we think about “the church,” what images come to your mind? Hard pews, unsingable hymns, repetitious praise choruses, enforced silence and excruciating boredom are just a few things that make up the “common image” of the church. Then there are the pastors and their long sermons. Pastors are sometimes perceived as "six days invisible, one day incomprehensible!" (Of course, that’s not the case with the Calvary pastors! Right?)
Do you remember that simple rhyme that children learn in Sunday School that goes like this: “Here’s the Church, here’s the steeple. Open the Church and see all the people!” We would use our hands to make the church, the steeple and then open our hands and wiggle our fingers to show “the people.” That children’s rhyme sums it up so well and so simply. We are the Church!
On the Alpha Course, Nicky Gumbel, the person who created the Alpha Course, describes the Church as “the people who belong to God; who are bound together in love as a family, representing Christ to the world.” Gosh, that sounds so warm and fuzzy, doesn’t it? I sure wish that was the reality in our churches today. Sadly, it isn’t.
As Pastor Steve mentioned this weekend, the problem is the Church is made up of you and me and we are a bunch of sinners – every last one of us! There was a church that had a sign in front of it that read, “The finest bunch of hypocrites you’ll ever want to meet.” What a great sign! I wonder what the reaction would be if Calvary put that up on its sign facing Golden Valley Road?
Because the Church is a hospital for sinners and not a museum for saints, as Pastor Steve so aptly stated, ALL are welcome! As imperfect as the Church is, it is the place where sinners like me, and like you, are welcomed; a place where God’s love and His healing grace is shared; a place where we can come as we are and know with certainty that despite our mistakes, our sins and our regrets in life, our identity comes not from who we are in this world, but from our identity rooted in Jesus Christ.
We are the children of God. We come as sinners in need of grace and hypocrites in need of forgiveness. And we are the ones who Christ uses to be His hands and feet to others and to share His message of love and hope to the world. Wow! I find that absolutely amazing that God uses you and me – broken as we are – to spread His message and bring His light to this dark world. What an awesome privilege we have!
We are the Church – the Body of Christ. Sinners and hypocrites are welcome! See you Sunday!
Here’s a great song by Casting Crowns that reminds us that WE are the Body of Christ.
Pax,
Pastor Carol
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