Looking for the Church?

At Christmas time, I often see cards depicting a snow covered rural church with its lights shining, inviting me to join them for a simple, but profoundly meaningful, candlelight service on Christmas Eve. For me personally, being drawn to the country, this is what I want the to see the Church. I long for a life uncluttered by noise, traffic, and busyness. I want the Church to reflect my desires.
What does your imagination and dreams make the Church to be? Do you see grand spires reaching the heavens? A large, modern building, bustling with people and activity? An old urban building opening it's doors to feed the needy? A group of people dressed in their best, singing as the choir and organ lead? Or sandels,sneakers and blue jeans moving in tempo to guitars and drums? Or do you see common theology and practices of communion, baptism, and church government?

If I had masterminded the Bible, I would have done it much differently. It would have given clear outlines, in order of priority, of what God expected. Instead of that, God's Word is primarily a record of God's interaction with His people. In that interaction, we find His commands, His consequences for obedence and disodedience, His grace, and His face. Paul, Isaiah, and others make grand statements of theology, but the context is always God interacting with people. Rules apart from realtionships always produce pharisees. My way would have only resulted in rule followers, not God seekers.
You will look in vain for a defintion of the Church in the Bible. You will find descriptions, promises, and stories. Let's look at the first story in Mark about the Church. Open yourself to look at a familar story differently.

Mark 2:1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
The story in Mark teaches many lessons. Perhaps the most obvious is making clear that Jesus forgives and makes whole as only God can do. But going beyond that, it teaches us the importance of seeking God together.

Let’s look at the people involved who were seeking help and seeing what we can learn from them. Five men: four healthy and one paralyzed. Connected with a common purpose—getting to Jesus. The ones who were able didn’t need help, and the one who needed help was unable. This is a parable of the Church.

What we normally call the Church is a group of individual believers who happen to be in the same place at the same time. There is a unity, but for many, it doesn’t extend beyond a common geography, a common time, and at least a partially common theology. Unity that becomes community is optional. It is not a primary foundational commitment, second only to loyalty to God Himself. Individuals fail and fall because there is not an unshakable commitment to the common good, to community.

Do you want to live as an individual, alone, succeeding or failing alone? These five men in Mark’s Gospel did not see that as an option. The paralyzed man or his friends had heard that Jesus was back home. Hope stirred in them! Hope! Perhaps the crippled man had a wife and children that had depended on him until he lost the ability to move. Perhaps, because of his infirmity, he had never married and was dependant on family to care for him. But whatever his personal circumstances, it was devastating to not only him, but also to those who loved him. But now, others didn’t just hurt with him, they hoped with him! So the four men took their friend to the house where Jesus was.

Or they tried to, because those others seeking to be near Jesus got there first. The house was filled to the point that newly come seekers couldn’t even get close, let alone get in. If I had been one of those five men, I would have given up. “We tried, didn’t we?” I’d ask. “That’s all anyone can do.” But those men weren’t like me. Somehow, the four friends not only got up on the roof themselves, but they got their crippled friend up there, too.

What you think the bystanders were thinking and saying? “They’re nuts! An embarrassment! What will Jesus think of this foolishness? They’re all going to get hurt! Who’s going to repair the roof? There's a storm coming!

But the four were undeterred. Once up on the roof, they proceeded to dig a hole through it, and lowered their friend down. I wonder who brought the rope. Undoubtedly, debris was falling down on the people below, including Jesus. Jesus looked at them (plural—all five), and then told the paralytic that his sins were forgiven. After further conversation with the outraged bystanders, Jesus also healed the man.

Can you to identify with the four friends? Who do you know that desperately needs to get to Jesus? What needs does he or she has make it impossible to get to the One Who can help? Sin. Discouragement. Depression. Grief. Pain. Infirmity. Are you going to hurt for them and pray from a distance, or are you committed to be with them in their mess. Are you willing to not only help your friend, but enlist others? Are you willing to carry your friend when he would go on, but can’t? Are you willing to look defeat in the eye, and say, “No! We will not turn back until we reach Jesus! Jesus can say no, but until I hear from Him, I’m not going to stop.” Are you willing to do the unorthodox, to dig through a roof, to be loyal to your friend?

We will not see the Church until we say, “Yes!”

Can you also identify with the paralyzed man? You are desperately needy, but you hate imposing. You hate being weak. You know the thing to do, but it’s beyond you. You don’t want the label. Alcoholic. Addict. Gossiper. Angry. Damaged. Depressed. Poor. Sick. Jobless. Sometimes the only way to find help is to share a mutual dependency with friends. An embarrassing dependency! Are you willing to be humble, to be weak, and to need those around you?

We will not see the Church that Jesus would build until we say, “Yes!”