The Church (part three)

Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Colossians 3:13).

Why did Christ Jesus give us the Church?  One reason is to give us a place where we can express the contents of our hearts.  The world doesn’t like spiritual talk.  Unbelievers resent seeing crosses in cemeteries, hearing prayer in public areas, or finding the word of God on television.  Most of your friends would rather talk about sports, politics, celebrity gossip, the weather—anything but religion. 

Church is a place where you can unburden yourself to God in prayer.  You can admit that you’ve messed up and not have to worry about how others might react; everybody in church needs the forgiveness that you’re asking for.  You can bow your head in private prayer and no one will interrupt you or give you a strange look, wondering what you’re doing.  We should not be embarrassed to pray whenever the need arises, but in church no one will hassle us for taking a break to speak with God.

In church, you don’t have to keep up appearances.  Out in the world you dare not reveal weakness or someone will swoop in to take advantage of you.  In church you are one sinner among many, people who frequently make poor decisions, fail to keep their promises, cause hurt by being carelessly impulsive.  In church, you not only receive the blessing of Jesus’ forgiveness, you have the understanding and support of many who share the same struggles and frustrations that you do.  In the Church we pray for each other, listen to each other, help and support each other, give encouragement to each other. 

I’m not suggesting that life together in the Church is free of inappropriate drama.  Because we are sinners, there are times when we fail to treat each other the way that Christ expects us to.  Out in the world, doing the wrong thing causes damage to relationships that requires begging and restitution to put right, and sometimes reconciliation never takes place.  What makes things different in the Church is Jesus’ mercy. The Son of God forgives us when our behavior causes trouble.  Filled with His love and guided by His compassion, we are able to put aside our hurt, healing damaged relationships by sharing His forgiveness with each other.  The Lord deserves our joyful praise in worship for enabling sinners to love each other and live as a family, despite our many faults.