What Does it Mean to “Be” the Church?

 

Scripture Luke 12:41-48 

Then Peter said to Him, "Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?" And the Lord said, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season?  Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."

HYMN OF THE DAY - "I Am The Church"

(Chorus) "I am the church!
You are the church!
We are the church together!

All who follow Jesus, all around the world!
Yes, we're the church together!"

"The church is not a building,
the church is not a steeple,

The church is not a resting place,
the church is a people." (Chorus) 

"We're many kinds of people,
with many kinds of faces,

All colors and all ages, too,
from all times and places." (Chorus) 

"Sometimes the church is marching,
sometimes it's bravely burning,

Sometimes it's riding, sometimes hiding,
Always it's learning." (Chorus) 

"And when the people gather,
there's singing and there's praying,

There's laughing and there's crying sometimes, all of it saying:" (Chorus)
 

MEDITATION - "I" Am the Church!

 

The "Stewards" in this parable probably refer to Christian leaders and the responsibility they bear NOT to misuse their positions of leadership for personal advantage. Deliberate offenders will be judged as "unbelievers". God holds us responsible for our actions based on our knowledge of His will for ourselves and for His whole creation. Understanding this means we also understand what sin is and isn't!!! We are held accountable for our sins, both those of commission and omission!!!! Something is not a sin until we understand it as such and choose to do it, or not do it anyway! 

Look back at the words of the hymn for today. I find this charming little hymn to be both comforting and maddening. Such simple words, yet so profound in meaning! It is found in the United Methodist Hymnal under the category "Nature of the Church", and it tells a lot about that very thing, indeed. I think it also conveys a tremendous amount of responsibility on me - - - indeed, on everyone who sings it!!

Responsibility? How so?

"I" am the church. I represent the church wherever I go, in whatever I say, and however I act . . . I "am" the church. Some people will never, ever go inside a building that says "church", or "temple", or "synagogue", or "Kingdom Hall" or any of the other ways we identify our gathering places for worship, but they may see me going in or coming out, and in that moment, I "am" the church - - - some people will decide what the church is all about based on what they know about me - - - good, bad or indifferent. Some people will see me
and decide whether or not I am one of the hypocrites who keep them away from the church.  If I am somewhere I shouldn't be, doing things I shouldn't be doing and that weaken my witness, I "am" the church in that moment in that place as surely as I am when I am on the organ bench on Sunday morning or when I am in Prayer Meeting on Wednesday evening. Maybe I am "MORE" the church in  the bar than I am inside the walls of the church building.
 

If I am failing to respond to someone in need,
I "am" the church as surely as I am when I am standing in a line as a volunteer serving soup to the homeless on a cold winter day. If I am pushing ahead of someone to get a parking place in the lot at the grocery store or at the mall, or hurrying to get in the just-opened checkout line at Wal-Mart,  I "am" the
church, just as surely as I am when I am working in the kitchen serving potluck supper in the Fellowship Building of our physical church plant. 

If I am driving and cut someone off with a gesture, I "am" the church just as surely as when I am shaking that same hand on
Sunday morning after services, or when I am letting someone go in front of me when I'm waiting to get out of a parking place in front
of my church building. 

I "am" the church - - - 24/7 - - - I "am"
the only Bible some people will ever read and the only sermon some people will ever hear. The scary thing about this for me is that I may not ever even know what influence and/or affect I've had on someone else, for the good or for the "not-so-good" 

It's a lot of responsibility. Sometimes I don't WANT to be the church - - - sometimes I don't WANT to be charged with all of that responsibility, but no matter - - - I "am" still the church - - - the church is not a building nor a steeple - - - the church provides sanctuary and respite for a time, but it is NOT a resting place - - - it's a people. Were all the people to go away, the building that "housed" them would immediately cease to be the church in that place. The church is a PEOPLE. 

I "am" the church.

"We're many kinds of people,
with many kinds of faces,

All colors and all ages, too,
from all times and places." 

The church is many kinds of people, with many kinds of faces - - - all colors, ages, sizes, shapes, gifts, graces, handicaps, needs, and experiences. We are many kinds of people, with many kinds of faces - - - we're all colors and all ages. We come together with all of this and more - - - we come with our needs and our experiences and our "baggage" - - - we are no stronger than our weakest member!

I "am" the church. 

"Sometimes the church is marching,
sometimes it's bravely burning,

Sometimes it's riding, sometimes hiding,
always it's learning." 

Sometimes I am marching and working
hard and feeling so good about things. Sometimes I am bravely burning - - - for the church, for family, for friends, for some community cause, for conservation, etc., and sometimes, I am shrinking from the "flames"
in cowardice, anything but brave, and in fear. 

Sometimes I, too, am "riding" or "coasting" and sometimes I am really hiding - from myself, from you, from the world, from responsibility for others, from God -  from love, from pain, or from loss and and from my own brokenness.

I "am" still the church. 

"And when the people gather,
there's singing and there's praying,

There's laughing and there's crying sometimes."

This "IS" the nature of the church. We gather, we celebrate, we care about and think about each other and our needs and concerns; we laugh and joke around and, very often,  we cry together - - - for ourselves and for each other... whether in church or at the lakeside or under the bed - - - this is our nature, as people in relationships and as the church.

I "am" the church. We "are" the church - - - whether we are "there" or "here" or even somewhere else. This is the responsibility, I think. This is the burden. This is the joy. If we represent the church everywhere we go, what does this say about our responsibility as Christian leaders to not corrupt the message for personal gain? For ease of lifestyle? For pride? For prejudice? And what, perhaps most importantly for us, what does it say about
what God requires of us, who have greater understanding of His word and His will?

It says, and frighteningly so in some ways, that we will be required to give a stricter accounting for our actions as Christians, for the way we "are" the church, than will those who have less understanding. This is quite a responsibility -  quite a burden, isn't it? 

PRAYER - Dear Jesus, we thank You for loving us and for Your guiding Presence in our lives all the time, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We thank You for trusting us to be the Church and to represent You and Your love to a hurting world. Help us to stay aware of the influence we have on others and to be faithful and pure in our living so as to be examples that are safe to follow! In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen 

ACTIVITY - Reflect upon your influence on other people. Ask yourself, "Whom do I influence and how?" "How do I 'try' to influence others and how?" "How do I affect others negatively? Positively?" Make a list of things that you do that might provide negative influences on others - - - have a little ceremony with yourself in which you burn your list. Make a contribution to your church's outreach or mission program in honor of your decision and commitment to eliminate your negative influence on others.