The church is…
How would you finish this sentence? What words would you use to describe what the church is (or what it ideally should be). I would venture a guess that each person’s answer is unique, although most people fall into a few general categories. Some people see the church as a spiritual well where they find inspiration to take with them through the week. Some people see the church as a family where they find security, safety, or acceptance. Some see it as a place to do good works—feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit the imprisoned. Some see the church as a place to learn what they need to believe and do to get into heaven, or to bring about the Kingdom of God. For many the answer is “all of the above.”
I would pose this little spiritual exercise: write down what you think the church is (or should be). If you have many different answers try to rank them in order of importance, eliminating things until you get your list down to one or two central descriptions of church. Keep in mind that there are no wrong answers. Each person has their own experience and perspective.
Once you land on the one thing that you think the church is, set it aside. Then read Matthew 16:13-20. Imagine yourself in Peter’s place as Jesus asks the question: “but who do you say that I am?” What is your response to that question? Remember, no one is looking over your shoulder, judging you. There is no A+ answer or F- answer. There is only your answer.
How do your answers to these two questions relate to each other? When you string the two together what story does it tell? If you view Jesus as a trusted friend or older brother, do you also view the church as a family? If Jesus is a prophet who cared for the outcast and the stranger, is the church a place to care for the same? If Jesus is the gate through which we pass to eternal life, is church the key to that gate? Or maybe Jesus is a figment of historical imagination. Does that make the church a collective illusion too?
I think we often believe that it’s by going to church that we discover who Jesus is. And yet it is after Peter answers Jesus’ question that Jesus tells him that he is the cornerstone of the church. What Peter believes about Jesus is what the church will be built upon. Perhaps the same is true for us. While we can always rethink what we believe about Jesus, I’m pretty sure that whatever belief we land on will serve as a lens through which we will view the church. And that lens will guide each of us as we seek to build the church together.
Blessings,
Pastor Jen
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