I See The Church

inspired by the events in a worship service on 12/03/08

I see The Church...

...crowned in humble triumph. There is something remarkable about this church as it is existentially victorious and yet evidently undistinguished. Let it be understood that I am not beholding a building, nor am I observing an organization. I am looking at people, precious in His sight...and perplexing in mine. These people are not truly 'these' but rather a 'this.' They are many yet one. The remarkable thing, however, is not the ethereal qualities that make up the nature of this being. The remarkable thing is the way this being-The Church-operates. It is a force of powerful, victorious, rambunctious love. It has tapped into the world's most desirable resource: true Love. 'This' people lives in a world addicted to a drug. The masses call it love, but the insidiousness of this drug is found in the fact that it is the furthest thing from Love. Self-centered, self-seeking, self-gratifying, self-serving, self-indulging and self-destructive. The masses sway back and forth in a riotous fashion reaching, hording, and groping for a fix on the drug and sensations of this pseudo-love. They takes hits of the drug from needles of empty relationships, from pipes of secret sins, and from joints of careless living. This riot pulses, pushing the individuals around like pawns until they reach the edges and are carelessly and quietly trampled beneath its lethal force. In this very same riot world, I see The Church...

...it proclaims justice, hope, restoration, and life. All these are beautiful messages that many people would willingly accept. However, the primary message of this church-entity is also the very thing that causes vicious hate, searing strife, and repeated rejection from the masses: Love. The rioters do not want to hear The Church's message of Love. They are in a continual cycle of either feeling like they are moments away from attaining love by their own might, or like they have just been abused and defiled by it. The rioters have a love-hate relationship with love. It is their unstoppable addiction yet the ever-present carrot dangled before them leading to their own demise. They want it and fear it all at once. Their very definition of love is different from what The Church knows as Love. The rioters hate love, but insatiably crave it. So, between the riot and The Church, there is a language barrier. The Church sends a message of Love and the riot quakes in vile repulsion. They have had enough with love since it is the reason they are caught in the riot. Yet The Church says that God is Love...and therefore the riot hates God. The Church means that Love must be defined according to God, but the riot hears that God is defined according to love. With a skewed definition of love, the riot's concept of God is lost in translation. They see God as an abusive force from which all pain stems, for that is what their love is. They see God as an unattainable goal that strips us of all dignity and leaves us dejected, for that is what their love is. But in the face of this devious definition, I see The Church...

...it is filled with compassion and hurls itself into the riot. Some will most likely be trampled, yet all enter fearlessly. The Church used to be on the other side of the street shouting out its message. Now, its members have permeated the crowd and are whispering in the ears of the rioters. The hands of the addicts shiver and grapple in habitual attempts to find love, but the members of The Church hold their hands still with gentle strength. The eyes of the addicts dart to and fro in fear, but the members of The Church send a calm and piercing gaze that does not break. The addicts push and shove one another, but the members of The Church stand still and take the brunt of the momentum. Slowly, the swaying mass stills and the noise of shouting has died down. Now a roar of whispers is all that remains. The whispers of affirmation, acceptance, and validation are both foreign and refreshing to the addicts. The addicts are puzzle as the members of The Church perform a strange custom they have never seen. They had lived in a riot of taking, but these peculiar people begin giving. They remove their outer garments to warm the crowd. They offer their shoulders to support those who have been wounded. They empty their wallets to those who have been robbed. They give their car keys to those who have none. They offer their homes to all that can fit. A new sound is heard, clinking and clicking as the addicts drop their needles, pipes, and joints. They abandon those old behaviors they had of living life trying to feel love. I do not see a mixed crowd of rioters and rescuers any longer. I see The Church...

...they are one once again. They are the new riot. A gentle revolution looking to overthrow the next riot with love. Concerning this vision, a friend of mine from the Middle East replied:

"Here's another way to put it: You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world. God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill. If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you? I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop, on a light stand—shine! Keep open house; be generous with your lives. By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven. " (Matt 5:14-16)

Are you part of this community? I understand you may be a part of a church, but are you a part of THE Church. Do you shine enough to bring out the God-colors in a world of colorblind art critics? Is your love backed by action or do you merely give your faith lip service? I see The Church...

...do you see what I see?