What does it mean to be the church these days?
Even though we often talk about the church as a building, we know that the church is not a building. The church is something different than stone and mortar, pulpit and pew.
Even though we often talk about church as a time on Sunday morning, we know that church can happen anytime throughout the day and throughout the week.
Even though we often think of church as a gathered community, we are coming to know that the ways we are connected to one another and to Jesus Christ don’t necessarily have to involve physical proximity. We can be the church with people both near and far using mail and telephone, social media and virtual meetings.
“Blessed be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love,
the fellowship of kindred hearts is like to that above.”
This week the lectionary reading from Romans points to the way that followers of Jesus Christ go about living out their faith in the world. These actions are a clear way that we are living out what it means to be the church. (Romans 12:9-18)
That certainly sounds like a way of life that stands out from what is so commonly found around us. It’s challenging to live in this way, but we have God’s help along the way. That is what it means to be the church in the world.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Steve Larsen