What if the church...?

What if the church, your church, closed its doors today, would it be missed? At one church I previously served the answer was “Yes, we have been going here for a long time” or “Yes, it would be sad if we no longer heard the chimes”. Even though the answer was “yes” the underlying reason for keeping the doors open was somewhat flawed. These responses beg the question “What is the purpose for keeping the doors open”? Are the members experiencing God? Does the community see the body of Christ?



My initial thought turns to Matthew 25:31-45. The church is called to feed the hungry, care for the sick, visit people in prison, and welcome strangers. In other words, the church is to be the body of Christ reaching out to the world in missions. As United Methodists we acknowledge we are part of the universal church reaching engaged in missions. This suggests the church pursues love of neighbor and strives to employ its spiritual gifts, so that the church is a place where a person may experience the reign of God. The church is where the body grows in love, and experiences the beginnings of eternal life. In the body of the church people engage in a fellowship that helps deepen a person’s faith as the church supports and prays for each other. The church is a place where people celebrate the love of God revealed in Christ. The church resides in the hearts of all believers.


While the church is nurturing the spiritual life of others, there can be a tendency to forget the church is also to take care of a person’s physical needs. In Luke 9:2 and 10:9 Jesus sent the twelve apostles, then later the 72, into the world to preach the kingdom of God and heal the sick. Not only is the church to proclaim the gospel so others may hear about the hope found in Jesus Christ, it is to be a physical presence in the world. The world is made up of real people who are hurting, torn apart by physical conflict, or are oppressed by situations beyond their control.


If the Kingdom of God is cemented by the belief that the Kingdom is both a present and future reality then shouldn’t the Kingdom of God is present in the church today through its activities? Through the activity of the church people get a glimpse of eternal life. Yet at the same time the church awaits the second coming of Christ to establish God’s Kingdom on earth. The church in the world today is to be the first place where the reign of God can be identified and witnessed. The reign of God is more than a personal vision of God’s future, as the church is to be a place which transforms the world until God’s love, justice, and mercy prevail throughout the whole world. It is also a future event where the world will experience a complete healing and redemption.


Christians look forward to the fulfillment of God’s work in the redemption of humanity and all of creation. This gives hope to persons individually and communally. This hope motivates a person’s service and witness for Christ, and helps them not to give up spreading God’s word. Christians are called to live in the world, not separate from the world. Living separately from the world emphasizes the Kingdom of God as a future event only. Engaging in social justice ministries, for example Meals on Wheels or prison ministry, brings the reality of God’s love to those who feel forgotten by society. In the busyness of the day, maybe we can take a break and pray for others. Christians help usher in the Kingdom of God by embracing others in the unconditional love of God. As the body of Christ, people are reaching out to a world in pain which is looking for hope. In this hope for the future, people find the desire to serve in God’s kingdom now.


Let’s Keep This Hope Alive!!!!