If you asked someone to draw a picture of church, what would he/she draw? Would it be large a-framed type building with a steeple on top? Or would it be a group of people? And if it is a group of people, what would they be doing? Would they all be found in the a-framed building singing or listening to a sermon?
I wonder if we sometimes become confused as to what church is. The reason I think this is because that most times, when I observe any sort of print advertisement or social media invite to a church, the photo with it encompasses bright lights, a worship band on a stage, and people singing with raised hands (much like the photo above). Now before you jump to conclusions, I’m not against lights, worship bands, or singing. I’m just wondering if this type of picture does justice to what church is and should be.
It is true that worship is a vital part of church. After all, we become like what we worship. Plus, God is deserving of our praise as he has rescued us out of the mess we created for ourselves. As we gather as the people of God, we must declare his goodness, grace, mercy, love, kindness, and holiness.
But what I’m concerned about is whether or not the pictures we draw or photos of church we post really show what church is? Is it just about singing? Is it just about showing up to a building and listening to a sermon? Is not church bigger than an event at a specific time and specific place?
Once again, don’t read between the lines here. I’m not against any style of worship necessarily although I do think we need to think a bit more theologically about what it means to worship corporately. And I’m not against buildings nor meetings. What I’m trying to convey is church is more than these things.
Church is a people. I think we know this. It’s not a building. I think we know this too. And it’s also not just a group who gathers to sing contemporary songs to God led by a praise band. I think we know this as well. However, our photos of church don’t show it.
Whenever I picture church, I think of an older couple who become like grandparents to a young boy whose family is currently in disarray. I picture a young married couple who visits an elderly man each week who can’t make it to his Sunday School class any more because of health. I picture a man and his family who are struggling financially being taken care of until they get their feet back under them. Bottom line: I picture a family.
This family is the family of God. God is the Father! And this family, as God as Father and the Son as savior and the Spirit as empowerer, has a mission to the world around them. It is to declare and demonstrate, by their sacrificial love for one another, that a new Kingdom has been inaugurated through the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is a Kingdom in which all are invited. And it is a Kingdom in which includes a new way of thinking, a new way of living, a new identity, and new brothers and sisters…the church!
Luke writes in Acts that the early believers spent their time learning from the apostles, and they were like family to each other. They also broke bread and prayed together. Everyone was amazed by the many miracles and wonders that the apostles worked. All the Lord’s followers often met together, and they shared everything they had. They would sell their property and possessions and give the money to whoever needed it. Day after day they met together in the temple. They broke bread together in different homes and shared their food happily and freely, while praising God. Everyone liked them, and each day the Lord added to their group others who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47).
How do we put all this in one photo? How can we draw it all on one piece of paper? Not sure it’s possible! But then of course, that’s the dynamism of being the people of God. Still shots don’t do it justice!
Photo by Shaun Frankland on Unsplash
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