Monday 12 January 2009

I believe in The Church


I often hear many say that they love God but not the Church, they love Jesus but not His Church. The sad thing is I don't think you can love Christ and not His Church. It was never Gods intention that people stop believing in the Church. Christ is committed to His Church and if we look back at history you will see that She is irrepressible. GK Chesterton once reflected that, “On five occasions in history the Church has gone to the dogs, but on each occasion, it was the dogs that died”.
She may not always get it right, man might occasional give her a bad name but she is God's redemptive plan here on planet earth. She has the capacity and God given power to comfort, bring community to the lonely, She builds bridges to those who search for God, She opens her arms to the forgotten, the oppressed and provides a place of belonging to the marginalised.
Maybe we should think before we criticize what Christ gave His life for.
There is too much at stake, heaven has invested heavily, God has placed His redemptive purpose on the shoulders of the Church. We (followers of Jesus) are part of something mysterious and beautiful. She is not a building "over there" but she is a community of struggling, weak people who are on a journey to and with God.
Let the sails be hoisted and the wind blow.
I love the Church. I do not want to write about the Church as a problem, a source of conflict, a place of controversy, but as the body of Christ for us here and now

- Henri Nowen

12 comments:

Daniel Kalbach said...

Good word. I love Nouwen. Have you read The Genesee Diary?

jasondscott said...

I haven't read it. But I will pick up a copy now.

Thanks

ylmurph said...

I think I drank some Genesee once???

steven hamilton said...

my favorite nouwen book has to be the wounded healer...it's who He is, and who we become...

(i also drank genesee up in philadelphia once...but only once...ugh, malt liquor)

peace

Anonymous said...

to someone like myself who is unchurched i think its very difficult to join a church and live your christianity out in church, becasue mayby the gap between the churched and unchurched is the problem , i don't think problems like this one can't be sorted out but i really do think its difficult. well i personally have found it difficult God bless

Anonymous said...

to someone like myself who is unchurched i think its very difficult to join a church and live your christianity out in church, becasue mayby the gap between the churched and unchurched is the problem , i don't think problems like this one can't be sorted out but i really do think its difficult. well i personally have found it difficult God bless

jasondscott said...

I agree that there is a huge chasm between the church and the unchurched. Though I think this is possible to bridge the gap.

One of the amazing things about Jesus is that even though he was a righteous person he would do life with unrighteous people. The strange thing about Jesus is that even though he came from God he would spend time being with ungodly people.
In the first century people who were nothing like Jesus would want to be about Him.

They wouldn’t be put off by Him; people who were not religious didn’t get offended by what he said or did. The people who would describe themselves as not good living at all would enjoy his company.

Anonymous said...

Too much is made of one hour's church attendance on a Sunday morning, the real gist of your first two sentences. What the world wants to see (and Jesus wants to see) is how love, grace and mercy are applied the other 24-7.

That's where opinions on the church are formed.

Anonymous said...

I think churches have lost their purpose. They have become a place of safety for the 'holy' where they can talk about loving and serving and reaching the lost and broken but never turn it into action! In my experience they shy away from people who are 'difficult' and whos lives are complicated for fear of infecting the holiness of their sanctury! The church has a long way to go if they truly want to represent God on this earth.

Wanderer said...

In response to Anon 27 Jan 09, I have to say that I think talking about the 'church' in such general ways is easy, but not overly fair.
The Church IS God's plan, but yes, we, humanity, (as the church) have made mistakes along the way ... we've said the wrong thing, done the wrong thing, we've not always represented Jesus the way He deserves.
Having said that, many millions around the world are actively seeking to be the Church Jesus called us to be ... people who are willing to go beyond their walls into the community, to serve, to love, to care, to give their all for those in need.
Sometimes it's all too easy to sit back and take a pop at an abstract idea ... what I see, and experience everyday, is the privilege and honour of being part of a movement of people who are genuinely trying to be the Body of Christ.
I notice you say, "In my experience they shy away from people who are 'difficult' and whos lives are complicated for fear of infecting the holiness of their sanctury!"
The Church is always at it's best and most beautiful when it is dealing with 'difficult' and 'complicated' ... and again, my experience is one of seeing a group of Christ followers who are 'mixing it', who are prepared to throw aside tradition for truth.
My experience is obviously vastly different from yours, and I do not intend this to be a critique of your view ... that's been your life ... I do think there is another side though, and it is that side, the beautiful Bride of Christ which I wanted to highlight.

ylmurph said...

I'll give you a root beer if you write another post...

Anonymous said...

yes i do think our experiences are very different wanderer! And strangely we may be talking about the same movement of people! I have spent my life serving the church in lots of ways, and id like to think i was the kinda person who wanted to serve everyone and see the broken restored! but when i was the one broken i soon discovered that for most Christians its all talk! and when it came to the crunch it was alot easier for people to ignore the situation and me! so for now im left disgusted with my so called christian friends and leaders! Im pleased for you that you've never had to experience this disappointment and i sincerly hope you never make a mistake or find yourself in my posistion! and if you do i hope things are dealt with alot better and you receive the Godly support that should be given to all.