The church and I

What am I? Am I a Catholic, a Baptist, Pentecostal, Wesleyan, a Jehovah’s Witness, Uniting, am I a Muslim or an Anglican, perhaps a Seventh Day Adventist? I get asked this question a lot and to which I answer, “None of them, put me anywhere and I’ll be fine.” I think what I wanted to say was, “I don’t think I really belong to any particular group. I was a Catholic at one time then moved on to Pentecostal while attending Baptist then went back to Catholic for a period after which I became a member of the worship group at a Wesleyan, made good friends with Jehovah’s Witnesses, and worked under a Uniting group. I lived in a Muslim country for two seasons, married an Anglican and felt at home with the Seventh Day Adventists”.

Some may find me a well seasoned nomad from a lifetime of ‘church hopping’ (as Pentecostals call it). I’ve been there before, done that before, and heard that all before. Some people may find my way of thinking too radical, blasphemous and almost verging into heresy. They are cautious in taking me because I’m not one to easily conform. I don’t fear commitment, I just don’t want to be fenced and boxed in. I savour both order and my God given free-will.

My father was a convert and eventually became a pastor. He also claims he’s an evangelist. At one time I said I’m going to be an evangelist out of longing for my father’s approval then changed my mind at an early age not to marry a pastor because pastors were usually penniless and some I have witnessed lived in hypocrisy. Still seeking some form of approval from my father at a later age, I followed him from one church to the next. The approval I finally got was the permission to detach myself from my father’s footsteps and something had made it clear what being one with my husband meant.

I also came to know King David’s psalm (Psalm 92:13) about those who are planted in the house of the Lord flourishes. It still boggles me though what the house of the Lord is. Surely it’s not referring to any particular buildings made by human hands, for who could ever contain the greatness of God when the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot even contain Him!  Perhaps God had understood my finite mind and so made it possible for me to grasp this concept and simplified what the house of the Lord is - it is the personhood of Christ.  For in JC lives the fullness of the Diety, the Godhead (Colossians 1:15; 2:9-10).

Where is JC? He is where the hurting people are, where many are afraid to go, where poverty is, where prisoners are. He is with the vulnerable, the lost, the rejects of society, the hopeless, the fatherless, the widows, the orphans and the outcast (March 2010, http://jcluvmd.blogspot.com/). It is for this very people why Christ came to earth, and there are still many of them out there.

Someone said "go to that church over there or this church over here and you will find God", but I encountered the reality of Christ from a non-religious book, felt closer to God most when I’m alone surrounded by nature (some Aboriginal people calls it Daddirri (Jan 2011, http://jcluvmd.blogspot.com/). I experience His presence most when I’m writing or when I’m working, aware of His presence inside and outside, when I’m with or without my family. He manifests Himself in numerous ways that are most familiar to me.

So what is church?  Church is not so much about the venue but the people itself.  It is when we come together with a purpose much like what occurs before Christmas season – a time when as disciples of Christ we visit a total stranger bringing gifts to the forgotten children of the prisoners. It is the planning, the talking, the brainstorming, the sharing and the working together towards that purpose. It’s that fellowship with each person participating, doing their bit to make that purpose come to life. You need to want to be there, to contribute something of yourself be it time, money, talent, skill, passion, insight, or experience. That is church. It’s not to earn brownie points from God or appease His favour for there is nothing more anyone can do to make God love us more because He already does (Romans 8:38-39) and He did it by sacrificing someone that is worth more to Him than to us.

Church is connecting with people struggling through life, hanging on to the hope of Christ’s promises, savouring and remembering His mercies and grace as each one talks about God’s goodness. Church is a group of people who will cry, laugh, pray, and rejoice with you. 

Church is but a part of my soul growth and complements what God teaches me every day at home, at work, and at play; during seasons of good and trying times. He uses every means to capture my attention and most of my learning takes place outside the four walls of a church. What would have become of me if I was solely dependent on a once a week church service for nurturing my spirit???

For anyone who is willing to seek with their heart and soul (Jeremiah 29:13, Deuteronomy 4:29) the uncontainable God (2 Chronicles 2:6), He can be found in all things (Colossians 1:15-17) for He fills all creation (Jeremiah 23:24; Psalm 139:7-10).