Letter: The church is the people
Published 12:27 pm Tuesday, April 7, 2020
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Greetings, today, friends. I pray all is well with you and your families. As we continue in this time of physical distancing, many are experiencing and processing it all on various levels. Many are learning a lot about themselves and their families as they are cooped up inside. Tensions can rise, patience can be stretched and attitudes can be challenged. Suffice it to say, many would rather not be in this situation, especially now that spring has sprung, and Easter is on its way.
As we are now in Holy Week, no doubt many had been really looking forward to their families getting together for wonderful meals around the table and gathering for worship at our local churches. For many who may not even attend church on a regular basis, Easter is a time when they will attend and enjoy an uplifting worship experience. I can assure you, pastors and clergy all around the world right now, would enjoy the very same thing. It’s a big deal in the world of ministers and the church. Some even refer to Easter Sunday as the Super Bowl of the church.
With that being said, I will confess to you that many times, as a pastor, empty seats in the church building have troubled me deeply. But, as I awoke Monday, after a big day of online ministry on Sunday, I commented to my wife that this is the first time empty seats have not affected me negatively. This is because I know, at this time, God is doing a deep work in the hearts of believers worldwide.
Perhaps God is wanting to teach us, at the simplest level, that the church is not the building; but, rather, the church is the people. The church is not anything built by human hands, but, rather, it is the heart of God made manifest in the earth through his people. The Apostle Paul wrote to believers living in Corinth, “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own” (I Corinthians 6:19).
In this time of distancing and isolation, I believe God is wanting to encourage every believer to see the reality of this truth — that we, together, make up the church and each of us is an integral part of that building not made with human hands. You and I, together, are what the church really is, and, let us seek to make the heart of God manifest in the world today.
I want you to know that you are loved. You are cared for, and you are important to God and us. If you need prayer, or just a listening ear at this time, please call me at 507-473-0376.
George Marin
pastor
Grace Christian Church