Dear Friends,
What is “the church”? A
few weeks before the New Year, we began this conversation in Sunday morning
Bible Study. It is a good topic for us
all to think about, because there are countless opinions and views that are all
around us. Some view the church one way,
and some view it another way; which way is right?
To answer this question, first I’d like to share some things
that the church is not.
First off, the church is not a business. The church does not exist to make a profit,
or to sell a product. The church
operates in the way of mercy, freely distributing the profit that Jesus already
has earned. God’s grace is given to
those who seek it, (and often even when we in our sin don’t seek it). Thus the normal business practices of the
world do not apply to the church.
Going along with the first point, the church also then is not
a fundraising organization. Yes, we do fund raise for church projects and trips and things, but the church does not
exist solely for that purpose. Instead
the church should always be giving more than fundraising. When fundraisers do come about, it should be
for the purpose of furthering the preaching of Jesus Christ and Him crucified
(for example, fundraising for Project 24).
A few months ago, I wrote an article on stewardship related
to that. Don’t give to the church funds
to earn something from God; instead give because God’s already given you more than you
can fathom.
Third, the church is not an entertainment center. Don’t come to church to be entertained. Come to be fed with God’s Word and
Sacrament. God doesn't really concern
himself with whether we are “entertained” in day-to-day life. He cares about us being forgiven, which is
why He has created the church. Yes
sermons may last longer than usual sometimes, and some hymns have more than
three or four verses, but they contain God’s Word of forgiveness, which feeds
our faith and trust in God.
Fourth, the church is not a place of judgment. What I mean is this: don’t come to church to
look down upon everyone else’s sin while ignoring your own. Don’t put down others for giving less than
you. Don’t judge someone else to be less
worthy or holy than you. Don’t bring up
another member’s sin over and over, holding it against them. Every person in our congregation is a sinner. If we knew all of the sins of everyone
present, we’d blush. If everyone in
church knew all our most secret sins, we’d be more than embarrassed. Instead, in church, we live in Christ’s
forgiveness.
Church is not a replacement for a therapist or a problem
solver. We do help with problems, we do
counsel, but only so far as Scripture counsels.
As Pastor, I have some practical knowledge, but my area of expertise is
not psychology but theology. I am
primarily here to proclaim God’s Word in regards to our relationship with Him.
Likewise, the church is not here to make you feel good about
yourself. In fact, often it seems to be
the exact opposite. When we hear God’s
Word, we feel pretty terrible about ourselves.
And we should. We sin. Terribly.
Totally. Repeatedly. Part of the church’s job is to point that out
to you, so that you are absolutely self-aware about your guilt in God’s
eyes. Yes, you, the one reading this
newsletter, are a sinner who deserves God’s wrath and punishment.
It’s because of this sin in you that the church exists. For you see, the church is to proclaim that
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the sole solution to our
sin in God’s eyes. We aren't going to be
holy enough to eliminate our guilt. We
are totally bankrupt in righteousness.
The debt is bigger than we can possibly imagine, for we have not been
“holy as the Lord God is holy.” We need
Jesus, and the place that we find Him is in the preaching and distribution of
the Sacraments that is only found in the church.
After all, that’s what “church” is. It’s the place where terrible sinners, sinners
like you and me gather together and receive the lavish forgiveness of sins
given freely by Jesus Christ. We are
washed in water and His Word to become His children – holy and sin free. In baptism, all our guilt and shame is
covered over by the holiness of Christ.
It is as if we are wearing Christ, and when God looks at us, He sees
Jesus. “Baptism now saves us” from our sin.
He gives us also His own living and resurrected body and
blood to eat and drink as well. Our
dead-in-sin bodies eat and drink the body and blood that shall never die – and
in it we share in the life of Christ forever.
He sacrificed Himself on our behalf, and then invites us to eat of that
sacrifice. As we say in the catechism,
it is “given and shed for the forgiveness of sins,” – our sins!
With both of these sacraments comes also God’s Word, spoken
to us through the mouth of a lowly pastor.
His Word declares, “Your sins are forgiven. Your guilt is atoned for. You belong to God.” It’s a contract prepared and fulfilled by God
Himself. It’s His name signed at the
bottom – the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
That’s what the church is:
A place for forgiveness and mercy – for you, for me, for that person
down the pew no matter what they may have done or not done. For forgiveness comes only from Christ – for
all sinners. Especially the big ones
like you (and me).
This coming year, I invite you to come and revel in the
lavish forgiveness of sins. I invite you
to partake in Word and Sacrament as often as possible, both on Sunday mornings,
and in Bible studies. Come. Receive the gifts that God freely gives! The gifts of forgiveness for all sinners,
even you.
(As a side note - I’d also invite you to spend some time
reading the book of 1st Corinthians this year. The church of Corinth was a congregation
struggling with what the question of what “church” was. St. Paul addresses their issues very directly
and succinctly. Note also in the verse
above, Paul, despite their sin, calls them “saints.”)
In Christ,
Pastor
