8/28/24
I sincerely believe that those who attend Christ Church do so because God called them here.
Called.
Last week I wrote about the Greek word we translate as “Church” meaning the “gathering of those summoned,” or the “called-out ones.” In Greek politics, these were citizens of a city who were called out to gather for a civic meeting. The translators of the Old Testament used that word, ekklesia, for the assembly of God’s people, and the believers in the New Testament used to describe the people (not the building) who made up the body of Christ.
But why “called” to Christ Church?
Because we are a unique expression of the Body of Christ, the Church.
We started this congregation as a great experiment of trusting God. It began when we asked a series of “what if” questions. What if there were a church that simply trusted God. What if there were a church that focused on studying and believing the scriptures. What if there were a church that embraced the mission laid out by Jesus in the Bible: Loving God . . . Loving Others. What if there were a church that believed God is recreating the world and wants us to be part of the project.
But aren’t there churches like this everywhere? Maybe. Maybe not.
I have been in church work most of my life. But too many of the churches I’ve been involved with seem to be committed to about everything BUT what God has called them to be. Some have been a mile wide, but only an inch deep. The people might know something about the Bible, but have no real idea of what the overarching story of the Bible is, nor did they grasp the vocation that God created us for and has called us to do. The sermons were more grounded in whatever podcast the “teaching pastor” (or whatever the current cool title is) was listening to rather than the Bible.
But God has called us to be something different.
We embrace the call to love God and love others, and we demonstrate that love in our relationships. After all, Jesus loved and those associated with Jesus are called to love. We give our time, talents, energy, finances to make an impact on our world. We gather food for the needy, school supplies for underprivileged children, and money for overseas missionaries. We seek to be God’s representative to those around us. We welcome everyone — we have all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds, and we let the Holy Spirit sort out our differences.
Christ Church is a fresh expression of a historical faith. It’s liturgical but not stuffy. It’s warm and friendly but also engages and challenges our minds.
We recognize that we’re part of an ongoing tradition, one that stretches back to the call of Abraham. When we meet on Sunday morning, we sing songs from throughout the history of the church. We hear the scriptures from the Old and New Testaments read, and we encounter God when we gather at the table to receive communion blessed by prayers from the beginning of Christianity.
There is a sermon, of course. I work hard to make sure it is grounded in the scripture and never strays from the scripture. There’s no politics from the pulpit (years ago, someone tried to get my ministerial credentials pulled because I didn’t publicly support their political views — but don’t be misled: I don’t shy away from difficult subjects when brought up at the proper time). There’s no pop psychology (I’m not trained in that). What there is, is a commitment to the Good News of Jesus Christ and how we can reflect God’s glory back into the world. AND there will probably be a quiz before the sermon’s done!
What all that means is we prize Good News over good advice.
We are one, united family. Our unity is rooted in our common Christian experience and our commitment to the basic beliefs Paul spells out in I Corinthians 15, “ . . . Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.” The resurrection of Jesus is non-negotiable! Ours is resurrection faith and God calls us to live resurrection lives!
We also hold to the tenants of the faith expressed in the Apostles Creed: God as Creator, the birth, death, resurrection and return of Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Universal Church, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting! Again, these are the bedrock beliefs that we rehearse each week, reminding ourselves that these are the beliefs that bind us together.
And there’s also a firm allegiance to our Head. Sometimes the church is spoken of as being a “body,” and if the church is a body, there’s got to be a head! If there’s no head, you be sure, the body is dead!
But the head of the church is not me. Christ is the head. I have my role to play, but I do it under the Lordship of Christ.
And we all serve together under that same Lordship.
We serve together. We love together. We study together. We worship together.
That’s our life as Christ Church.
Blessings,
Pastor Terry