We Are the Church
17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.
18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age."
-Matthew 16:16-20
The disciples of Jesus were faced with a
formidable task: baptize them in His name. Small wonder it is called The Great Commission.
But
Jesus, knowing this would be a daunting and dangerous mission, left them with
the most comforting promise and unwavering power Christianity offers: "Surely, I am with you always, to the
very end of the age."
These disciples were incredibly brave, but
utterly devoted to spreading the gospel far and wide. They were witnesses to Jesus' teachings, his
miracles, and his resurrection. They
probably preached wherever they could gather: a porch, a grove of trees, or
someone's home. They didn't require a
temple to have a special place to spread the word. What they were saying was special enough.
Jarrod reminded us in his sermon Sunday that
the church is the people, not the building. That is so true. When I come to
church on Sunday, I'm not coming to look at the building. I'm coming to study with my Sunday School
class, visit with friends, hear the sermon and sing God's praises at our
worship service.
Many years ago, the importance of the people
of the church was never more apparent to me than when my grandmother was
diagnosed with cancer. She lived
hundreds of miles from me and my parents. It was the women of her church who brought food and looked after her
until my parents could bring her home with them.
That prompted me to work harder to find a
permanent church home in my new home of Arlington. I had been visiting several churches, but
kept coming back to FUMC to hear Dr. Pike. Joining the fellowship that this church offered was a tremendously
steadying anchor in my life back then. It was so satisfying to gather with like believers to share the love of
Jesus and sing to the glory of God.
Remember that old finger rhyme--"Here's
the church, here's the steeple. Open the
doors and there's the people." God's followers have always known the people
were what mattered.
We have the sky for our ceiling; the ground
for our floor. And His arms are wrapped
around all of us, the whole world round. This is God's Church. When we
gather to sing his praises and hear the word every Sunday, we are sitting in
His lap of love.
Honestly, could it get any
better than that?
-Cheryl
Spradling
I have been coming to FUMC for over 25 years, and I guess you could
say I've been a permanent fixture in the Great Hall ever since Allyson Paxton
started this wonderful alternative service. Singing songs of praise gives me the greatest joy, and I am so thankful
the Methodist church has that 'open heart' doctrine to allow different ways to
worship.
0 comments: