Too often the Church has relinquished its true identity for the confines of a building. We are so proud of our accomplishments and the structures we build, but should we use them (buildings and programs) to identify who we are as followers of Jesus? Well, we shouldn’t, but sadly we do. How many times have you heard something like the following; “I know that I need to get back to Church, my life has been so busy.” Apart from the fact that this should serve as a warning sign that the individual speaking does not own their schedule and therefore their life, it shows a common misunderstanding that people have about of what or more appropriately who makes up the Church.
Church is not something that we go to, because we are the Church. It exists wherever we are located. I am not saying there is zero value in gathering together to lift the name of God on high. That should happen, but what I am saying is that we need to stop identifying the Church as a physical structure or programs that we do and get back to what scripture calls it; “you are the light of the world.” If people began to understand themselves as not merely representing a brand of Christianity (I belong to this little church or I am a part of this hipster church movement at the strip mall) and instead embodied who they really are (new creations to the glory of God) then this world would see the Light that is driving out the darkness that seeks to destroy us all.
Rev. Shawn J. Smith 