The Church, God’s People

As I continue to think through and formulate a new understanding and vision for what ‘church’ is it’s becoming very clear that it probably isn’t what we think or have come to love and or hate.

I’ve been reading some of Henri Nouwen’s thoughts about the Church.  I love the way that man could think and understand and communicate so deeply and simply at the same time.

Here is another mind-blowing thought about the Church:

The Church, God’s People

As Jesus was one human person among many, the Church is one organization among many. And just as there may have been people with more attractive appearances than Jesus, there may be many organizations that are a lot better run than the Church. But Jesus is the Christ appearing among us to reveal God’s love, and the Church is his people called together to make his presence visible in today’s world.

Would we have recognized Jesus as the Christ if we had met him many years ago? Are we able to recognize him today in his body, the Church? We are asked to make a leap of faith. If we dare to do it our eyes will be opened and we will see the glory of God.

Maybe it’s just me, but that really cuts to my heart.  Am I arrogant enough to think that I would be one of the very few humans on the planet who recognized and followed Jesus the self-proclaimed Messiah when He was on the earth?  How many people could I talk to who would claim that they would have been one of the few?

Remember this from Isaiah?

Who has believed our message
and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?

He grew up before him like a tender shoot,
and like a root out of dry ground.
He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him,
nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

We all, like sheep, have gone astray,
each of us has turned to his own way;
and the LORD has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted,
yet he did not open his mouth;
he was led like a lamb to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.

By oppression and judgment he was taken away.
And who can speak of his descendants?
For he was cut off from the land of the living;
for the transgression of my people he was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked,
and with the rich in his death,
though he had done no violence,
nor was any deceit in his mouth.

Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

After the suffering of his soul,
he will see the light of life and be satisfied;
by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many,
and he will bear their iniquities.

I find myself very critical of the Church, mostly because I’ve had a lot of time to see and know the deficiencies it has mastered.  What should be expected?  I’m not saying we can’t think and pray and listen and change and grow and become more effective.

I need to come to love the ugly things about groups of humans that get together with the worship of God Almighty and His Son through the power of the Holy Spirit.  That is beautiful.  No matter what.

I release my pride, my need to criticize and analyze and, for lack of a better word…to judge.

I have come to expect to be treated better and to have better than my Master.  That is so messed up.

Recognition is not a good barometer of the Church.  It’s ugly.  I worry too much about attractive things.

If recognition is the point, then Jesus really blew it.