What is essential?

It’s been a hectic week for me and an interesting time. This week is the first time I’ve led worship since coming to Comox United and the first time ever to lead a Virtual Worship Service even though I’ve been participating in many of them. One of the things we’ve been doing behind the scenes is having conversations with lots of people and trying to imagine what Comox United might look like in the “new normal.” Although people are generally pretty appreciative of the virtual service and all of the work that the worship team puts into it, we all still miss not gathering together for worship. Small groups also gather by Zoom and although it is better than not gathering, it is not quite the same, even if they are very effective for doing the work of the church. One of my new colloquialisms has become “Zoom is not a hug.” So, I found it fascinating when one of the church members forwarded me this blog by Lou Kavar on “Where Is the Essential Church?” Like many good blogs it raises more questions then gives answers. I also don’t believe in always reinventing the wheel, so I hope you enjoy his blog as I have included most of it here:

. . . . . But where is the essential church? For that, we need to dig a little deeper.
Our English word “church” which is derived from the Germanic word “kirika,” is the translation of the Greek word: ecclesia. An ecclesia was a gathering of people and used to describe a way in which people gathered together as a community in ancient Athens. At the root of “church” is community – people gathered together and interconnected.

The essential church is the gathering. This is the essence of the words of Jesus recorded by Matthew’s gospel: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them.” (Matthew 18:20) It’s important to realize that Jesus referred to people gathering, not what they did when they gathered. In other words, the ecclesia, the church is the gathering of people in the name or spirit of Jesus. Perhaps they’ll gather in the building for prayer. Perhaps they’ll gather at a soup kitchen to feed the hungry. Perhaps they’ll gather to shelter the homeless. Perhaps they’ll gather to care for the sick. The essence of church is not the Sunday service. Instead, the essence of church is that people gather to act in ways that make the teachings of Jesus real in the world.

Christians consider the day of Pentecost as the birth of the church. What happened on that day? The followers of Jesus had been hiding out because they were afraid that they would be arrested as associates of Jesus. The Biblical writer Luke says that they were gathered in a room praying. In that gathering, the Holy Spirit awakened them to something new and transformative. They left the security of that room and went into the streets of Jerusalem. It was there they touched people’s lives. The church was not born when they hid together for prayer. No, the church was born when they went out into the streets and made a difference in the world.

Somehow, Christians have gotten it backwards. The essence of being a Christian is not attending services in a building on Sundays. No, the essence of being a follower of Jesus is working with others to make a difference in the world. That’s what it means to be “church,” the ecclesia, the gathering of people that does something in the world.

Those people who complain about not being able to meet for Sunday services, well, to be honest: I don’t think they understand the teachings of Jesus. . . . . To be a follower of Jesus is to be self-less, to give of oneself for the benefit of others. Yes, Christians will be the church again when they are dedicated to bringing life to the world. That’s the essential church – the gathering of dedicated people who give of themselves to enliven the world.

© 2020, emerging by Lou Kavar, Ph.D.. All rights reserved.

The person who forwarded this to me wonders, “Our challenge is to determine how the gathering at Comox United will enliven the (outside) world.” How indeed? I look forward to seeing how we will wrestle with enlivening the world in the days to come.
Peace, Wayne