Monday, October 29, 2012

I went to church last Sunday and the Church broke out.

This reminds me of the old joke where the person goes to the fights and a hockey game breaks out.  What I’m talking about is that I went to church – the place most Christians go one hour per week and the place that seems to be more important than those around us; and the Church – the holy, universal Church of Jesus – appeared in all its glory.  You see, when I got to church last Sunday, the most terrible thing had happened . . . there was no coffee.

But there was much weeping, gnashing of teeth, and wearing of sackcloth.  Well, maybe not the sackcloth.  But something else happened.  Someone got a pot of coffee brewing.  Another got out the cups.  Sugar and creamer appeared.  And some people got the cookies out of the freezer and carefully thawed them in the microwave.  People of our church were being the Church!

Now it seems that people at church fell into one of three groups last Sunday.  There were those that were concerned about who was on the list – the list where people sign up to make coffee.  Or they were concerned about whose job it was to make sure that there was someone signed up on the list.  Or they felt that we should just do without coffee as that would teach those who never sign up to make coffee to sign up in the future.  (Obviously, this person had already had their coffee at home.)

The second group wasn’t going to make coffee.  It wasn’t their job.  Besides, they had made coffee a long time ago.  It was time for someone else to make coffee.  But if someone did make coffee, they were sure to have a cup.  Reminds you of the story of the Little Red Hen.  No one wanted to help make the bread but everyone sure wanted to eat it.

And there was the third group.  These folks were more concerned about others than themselves.  They wanted to make sure that the visitor they hadn’t even met received the welcoming hospitality they deserve.  So they set aside their egos, serving without complaining, helping each other in the kitchen, and washing the dishes afterwards.

Which group do you think Jesus would have been in?  I’ll give you a hint.  It was the group where people were serving like Jesus did.  Matthew 20:28 says, “Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve.”  We are the Church!  Romans 1:6 says that we are called by Jesus to be the Church.  We can be the Church!  But it’s a choice that each one of us needs to make.

Someone mentioned that maybe we are too concerned about things like the “list”.  They asked the question, “What would happen if we weren’t organized”?  Would the coffee get made?  Would we have worship?  Would we help those in need?  Would we do justice, love mercifully, and walk humbly with God?  (Micah 6:8)  Would we give the hungry something to eat, the thirsty something to drink, welcome the stranger, cloth the naked, take care of the sick, and visit the imprisoned?  (Matthew 25)  Would we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength and love others as we love ourselves? (Mark 12:30-31)  If we are the Church, we will!

The choice is up to each of us.  Will we be the Church or will we be more concerned about the church?

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