The Point

Have you ever wonder what the point was to something? Maybe you are stuck in a class or in a meeting and you find yourself wishing that the person talking would save everyone some time and just get to the point. My question for this week is what is the point of the church? Have you ever wondered that? Well, even if you haven't I am going to share a few thoughts. And don't worry, I will get right to the point.

The church is not a building. The church may gather in a building, but it is actually impossible to go to church. Because the church is the people of God gathered around word and sacrament. Being gathered around word and sacrament then compels the church to go out and to live out of the mission that God has in this world. And that is the point. The church (that is the people of God) does not have a mission. This is not like mission impossible. "Your mission, should you chose to accept it..." That is not how it works. Rather mission is as much a part of the life of the church as our eye color is a part of the body. You can't make your eyes change color (unless you get contacts, but that doesn't count). So we have the church, gathered around word and sacrament, who lives out of the mission that is given by God. And what is God doing, or what is he concerned about? He desires that all people would be saved. He is, through Christ, reconciling the world to himself. We, who have been reconciled to God become ministers of reconciliation. We live in our world so that we can be about this work in word and especially in action. 

We do not do it alone. But God gives us to one another to support, encourage and walk together. So that we can live out of this mission of our God. So we even love and serve one another, because even that is part of our witness to who God is and what it means to live life with him. So what is the point of the church? The Mission. 

God's blessings and peace to you this week and always.

Pastor CJ