Small but Mighty
Last Sunday’s sermon left off with the scene in the Gospel of John in which post-resurrection Jesus appears to the disciples, who have locked themselves away in an upper room. He shows them his wounds to demonstrate that it is really him and that all is well. Then he tells them that just as God sent him to them, Jesus is now sending them (the disciples) out into the world.
The resurrection is not the end of the story, it is just the beginning. The story of Christ continues even today with the church. That means us. For centuries now we have been stumbling around trying to fulfill this mission to the world. The church has both failed and succeeded. Sometimes what has been called our greatest successes has proven to be horrible failures (i.e., power tends to corrupt, even the church). Conversely, what we often think of as our failures are really successes. Take the decline that has hit our denomination over the past four or five decades. We have wrung our hands and lamented our loss of centrality in American life. But humility has focused our attention. It has forced the church to look within and take inventory—Where have we lost our integrity? Where have we been distracted? How can we serve God and not ourselves?
The church today is smaller than ever, but in many ways it is stronger. We have survived what few thought we could (a pandemic, aging population, financial challenges). Because of that survival, I am convinced more than ever that the church is still being called to be Christ for the world. I am also convinced that we are up to the task and will be around for ages to come.
The story continues…
Pastor Jen
|
