Sermon Central
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What Is The ...
Contributed by Sermon Central on Dec 11, 2009 (message contributor)
What is the Church?
They tell me the story that long ago there was a small church, in a small town, in a small county, where a small congregation had tried for years to get the biggest “sinner” in town, Sam, to come to church. Sam the sinner would have nothing to do with the church. He wouldn’t even come on Easter or Christmas. One day the small church building caught fire. Of course this was in the days before fire engines, so the town’s folk all pitched in to for a bucket brigade. From the local stream, all the way to the church, they formed a human chain. Passing along the buckets of water, they desperately tried to extinguish the flames. The pastor of the church was so engrossed in the struggle, that is was several minutes before he noticed that Sam was standing next to him, passing along the buckets. The pastor looked at Sam with sweat rolling down his brow and said “Well it look’s like we finally got you to come to church, huh Sam?” Sam handed the pastor another bucket and said “Yep, I guess your right. But pastor, this is the first time the church has been on fire!”
People are attracted to things that work the way they’re supposed to.
I spoke with Mike at Market Street Pizza this week. Mike has owned the place 5 years. The place was packed. I went there many years ago and you had no trouble getting in the place. The difference is service and quality. Mike loves what he does, checks on everybody, greets them, makes good food and has developed good relationships with employees and customers.
The church should be like that.
I been thinking about the church and it brought to mind a well known children’s rhyme. “Here’s the church, here’s the steeple….” Have you ever thought about what it this illustrates?
Something’s wrong with the imagery.
Two things:
1. Church is identified as a location
a. This thinking lends itself to compartmentalizing Christianity.
i. We worship God “at church”
ii. We serve God “in the church”
iii. We come “to church” to get refueled to endure the rest of our life.
b. We begin to think that the way we “do” church is the only way and we view other “churches” as competitors.
i. The Samaritan woman Jesus spoke with raised this issue in John 4:20 when she told Jesus, “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
From a sermon by Brian Matherlee, Here’s The Church, 12/9/2009
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