Thought for Today

Exodus 12:16 On the first day you shall hold a solemn assembly, and on the seventh day a solemn assembly; no work shall be done on those days; only what everyone must eat, that alone may be prepared by you.  

Psalm 107:32 Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

Matthew 16:18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.  

Acts 9:31 Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.       

What is the church? What did Jesus mean when he told Peter, “I will build my church?” Did Jesus mean a ‘brick-and-mortar’ building? Did Jesus mean any sort of physical structure at all?

I thought about all of this yesterday as our congregation met for worship. I’ve mentioned previously our tradition of summer worship. During July we worship with a neighboring congregation nearby. During August, they worship with us. Yesterday, we returned ‘home.’ What do I mean by ‘home?’ Is the church a building? Is the church ‘THE’ building at all?

When I speak or write of the Church, capitalized, I mean the universal association of followers of Jesus. Somewhat archaically, I am referring to Christendom. Capitalized, I believe the Church includes everyone who has publicly echoed Peter’s words, "Matthew  16:16 You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”  Irrespective of faith tradition, of denomination or of specific practice, we are united worldwide into the Church by that confession.

Many years ago, in the faith tradition, the denomination in which I was raised, I made my own public confession of faith. I was asked, “Do you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Savior?” My response in the affirmative, in front of my parents and the congregation, affirmed my place as a full member of that congregation and denomination. I was a member of that church! But, was I a member of that building, that specific facility? Or, was I a member of a family of faith, an assembly?

Jesus never attended a church. Jesus never worshiped in a Christian church. “Luke 4:16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom.” Jesus and his disciples worshiped in a synagogue, a “συναγωγή . . . strictly assembling or bringing together; hence (1) as a (formal) assembly for worship meeting (AC 13.43); (2) specifically, as Jews meeting together congregation, synagogue”  (Friberg, Analytical Greek Lexicon)

Our English ‘church’ is a translation of the Greek. “ἐκκλησία  . . . (1) in a general sense, as a gathering of citizens assembly, meeting” (ibid). That Greek word is the root of our English ecclesiastic. What is the church? Is it the building or is it the body assembled in that building to worship our Creator God?

As I thought about it, I remembered a long-ago Sunday School lesson. We were taught to put our hands together with the fingers interlaced. We would then say, “This is the church.” We would then open and extend our 2 index fingers, saying, “This is the steeple.” Finally, we would invert our hands, still with the fingers interlaced but now, with our palms facing upwards our fingers would be extended upwards, and we would say, “Look inside and see all the people.”

What is the church? It is not a merely academic question. Historically, our faith includes innumerable examples of schisms originating from property issues. The church my family attended from when I was born until I was about 4 years old split over the issue of  whether to sell the very valuable downtown property and move to the suburbs. The building was sold, the ‘church’ moved to the suburbs, but many congregants left that congregation to worship elsewhere. Ironically, my own family left to attend a ‘church’ just a few miles from where that original congregation built their new ‘church.’

What is the church? I believe the church is the people assembling together to worship our Creator God. I understand my calling to be the shepherding, pastoring of God’s flock. Is the building important? Yes. I believe the assembly and the worship are more important.

Stay safe, find your own church in which to worship with your flock, trust God,

Pastor Ray