Way back in 2011, I was serving as the pastor of Parkside Lutheran Church. One Saturday in the fall, we had a church cleaning day and so as I was helping clean out the nursery at Parkside Lutheran Church I came across this puzzle:
You’ll notice that the puzzle is missing a piece. The entire Puzzle is title “Church” and there is a piece for “Boy”, and “Girl”, and “Bible”, “Hymnbook”, “Minister”, and “Choir”, there even is a piece for “Organ”. But missing is the piece labeled “Church”... which is interesting because the entire puzzle is labeled “Church”.
As I picked up this puzzle and prepared to put it in the donate pile, a fellow Nursery-cleaner said to me, “Hey! You should save that puzzle for a children’s sermon, you can show them that the church isn’t a building, we are the church.” What a great idea!
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20
These simple words from Jesus in Matthew get at the very heart of our Christian calling-- to gather together. If you look back over all of Jesus’ teachings and miracles, you’ll see a trend: Jesus is always trying to bring people back together. When Jesus heals the sick, he is not only restoring that person’s health but he’s also allowing that person to re-enter the community that had shunned him because of his illness.
My experience with the church and with matters of faith have lead me to believe that community is essential for development. Not just social and emotional development, but spiritual development as well. When we gather together we learn about others, we learn about ourselves, and if we allow it to happen: we learn about God.
The church shouldn’t be defining itself with the type of building they gather in, we are the church. Even when we can’t gather in person – we are the church! When relationships are forged and deepened around the promises of the Gospel that is church. Really, The Church doesn’t need many of those pieces from the puzzle at all, because Jesus promises to be present when we gather together-- regardless of where or how that happens.
May we learn to more fully be the church. Amen.
As I picked up this puzzle and prepared to put it in the donate pile, a fellow Nursery-cleaner said to me, “Hey! You should save that puzzle for a children’s sermon, you can show them that the church isn’t a building, we are the church.” What a great idea!
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Matthew 18:20
These simple words from Jesus in Matthew get at the very heart of our Christian calling-- to gather together. If you look back over all of Jesus’ teachings and miracles, you’ll see a trend: Jesus is always trying to bring people back together. When Jesus heals the sick, he is not only restoring that person’s health but he’s also allowing that person to re-enter the community that had shunned him because of his illness.
My experience with the church and with matters of faith have lead me to believe that community is essential for development. Not just social and emotional development, but spiritual development as well. When we gather together we learn about others, we learn about ourselves, and if we allow it to happen: we learn about God.
The church shouldn’t be defining itself with the type of building they gather in, we are the church. Even when we can’t gather in person – we are the church! When relationships are forged and deepened around the promises of the Gospel that is church. Really, The Church doesn’t need many of those pieces from the puzzle at all, because Jesus promises to be present when we gather together-- regardless of where or how that happens.
May we learn to more fully be the church. Amen.
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May
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June
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