Sunday, December 6, 2015

The Way Church Was Meant to Be

December 6, 2015

I'll write more on this later when we get to that part of the Creed, but tonight I am grateful for the part that says, "I believe...in one catholic Church," or as we've said it, "one holy Church," since the word catholic has denominational connotations that are confusing to some. It's quite a confession; on a par with believing in God the Father Almighty, we believe in the church. We're not talking about an institution or organization here, but about a specific part of God's creation. Timothy Tennent said it well when he remarked in his little Apostles' Creed devotional that "we don't go to church; we gather as the church." Gathered together, we are a family who loves on each other, prays for each other, and stand together.

Sadly, there are churches who never experience the power of the Church as God intended. Churches become places of judgment, power brokering, gossip, and all sorts of vile evils. Most of us have experienced that kind of church at one time or another. Just as sad are those churches where everyone gets along well enough, but nothing of any eternal significance happens. And then there are the others.

This morning at Park church, we gathered again to pray for one of our own who will undergo surgery Wednesday for a tumor on his brain. The congregation was awash in grey tee shirts emblazoned with a silhouette of Darren and pastor Joe in a victory stance, taken from a photo snapped the last time we prayed for them just after they discovered the tumor. None of us are surgeons, so we cannot help in that way, but we are brothers and sisters who in our prayers and love stand by one another. I've not had to walk the road they are walking, but I've walked a few of my own, and am grateful when those who love me come alongside and accompany me along the way. It may not change the situation, but having them with me makes all the difference. May it make that same difference of love for Darren and Jen. We are just one small part of that one holy Church, but this morning's experience still warms my heart and fills me with gratitude. Where else can you find this kind of love?

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