Church (Take Me Back)

Ever feel like you just don’t belong in this world? Ever feel like something is missing? Ever have that feeling like you’ve lost something you once had? This week we go to church. It’s the place where we belong. It’s the people we call family and friends. It’s the time when time stands still. But it’s not a building. It’s not a time. It’s not a location or a service. It’s a people with a message and a mission.

One of the special things in my life is to be called Pastor. Not because it’s a wonderfully respected title in our world, but because it represents something powerful. It’s a reminder that I’m part of something bigger than myself. It’s a calling to be the welcoming hands and calming presence. One of my favorite things is being part of the church. I love the church I get to serve as pastor but that’s not the church I mean. I mean the Church – the big church across time and around the world. The church is more than a beautiful building or even a time spent together on Sunday mornings. The church is the connection and relationship shared with people of varying backgrounds and seasons in life. It’s a cross-cultural, multigenerational assembly of men and women who hold to one basic core belief that changes their whole existence.

The foundation of the church is the message of Jesus. That’s the heart and soul of who we are. So let’s go back to church. The place where you are always welcome. The people to whom you will always belong. It’s a place of forgiveness and grace. It’s a time with no ending. It’s beautifully loving and lovingly challenging. Let’s go back to church and stop this nonsense of changing the intent of God’s church. It’s not a safe haven for wrongdoing. There’s accountability in the church. It’s not a country-club for like minded people. We’re allowed to be different in some areas as long as the main thing stays the main thing. And in the church the main thing is Jesus.

So let’s go back to church and find true belonging, life and salvation in the only place it’s promised to be.