I Am The Church

Many years ago, we used to sing a song called I Am The Church by Richard K. Avery and Donald S. Marsh.

Here is the chorus and first verse of that classic:

I am the church! You are the church!

We are the church together!

All who follow Jesus,

all around the world!

Yes, we're the church together!

The church is not a building;

the church is not a steeple;

the church is not a resting place;

the church is a people.

At a conference I attended last week, Presiding Bishop of the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) Elizabeth Eaton shared her thoughts with us about what it means to be "The Church."

First, we are the church.  We worship!  That is why we are here.  And the one we worship is Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead. We share the good news. 

Second, we are a church that is Lutheran. We focus on the gift of grace - God's Riches At Christ's Expense. We need grace. We distribute grace. We are a "both/and" church in an "either/or" world. We are considered both saint and sinner. We lift up both law and gospel. We are a theology-of-the-cross people. Jesus comes to us in our brokenness, alienation and separation, and meets us there at the cross, where he experienced the same for you and me.    

Third, we are the church together. We share ministry and mission with other congregations and individuals. We are the body of Christ, and individually, members of it. We may be good at one area of ministry, and our neighboring congregation good at something else. We need each other, for all parts of the body are needed for it to function.

Finally, we are the church for the sake of the world. We are called to ministry in the world, to care for those in need. Did you know that Lutheran Social agencies make up the largest social agency in the United States? We are larger than United Way, Catholic Services or any other organization. We are committed to caring for those whom God loves (“For God so loved the world...” John 3:16).

We gather as individuals, and we are the church together.

I believe our mission statement fits well into this definition of "church" - 

We love Jesus by serving others. 

Peace,

Pastor Charlie