Lent for the Church

​Hello my friends!
Wow, February came to an end quick. I hope your Lenten season is off to a good start, that your fasts are proving contemplative and enriching, and that you find your soul turning back to or reconnecting with God as we approach the cross and, more importantly, the empty tomb!
 
As I reflect on what this 40-ish day season means for us as individuals, I find myself considering the church. Please note, my friends, that I mean the global church, not just Solomon’s UCC. What would it look like for the church to turn back to God? What would it look like for the church, not just its members, to repent and believe the good news? What would it mean for the world if the church were to kneel at the foot of the cross, and then to go running to tell others that the stone is rolled away and the tomb is empty?
 
I guess what I am wondering is this: What does it look like for the church to be the reflection of Jesus, the organized body of Christ, in the world, rather than just another institution? The truth is, so many have left the church or choose not to participate with the church because it is too much of an institution. That is not to say that we should not have beliefs, values, visions, and missions that guide us. But what if the church was more of a community than a community organization? I don’t have a clear answer to those questions. I’m still pondering in my heart.
 
Recently, I was speaking to a colleague who started at his church the same time I started at Solomon’s. He said, “when I started, we had maybe 40 in worship. Now we average 90.” (There are myriad differences between our churches, so let us not focus too much on the numbers.) He explained that he does not focus on church growth, but on invitations – invitations to hear the good news and to eat at the table Christ has set.
 
What if we worried less about worship numbers and church statistics, and more about sharing Jesus? What if we worried less about how we tell of the empty tomb (i.e., programs), and more about that we tell of the empty tomb (i.e., testimonies, conversations, fellowship)?
 
My friends, I may be writing this more to myself than to you, but it feels important to share. We are blessed in the UCC to be so mission minded and justice oriented. To be sure, the world needs that! But let us remember that Jesus didn’t just heal and feed. He talked, listened, and told stories, too. He invited people to eat with him, to walk with him, to talk with him, to pray with him, and to be in relationship with God.
 
May we extend similar invitations, even in the midst of our missions. May God be glorified in it all. May the body of Christ and the community of the church grow as more hear of the good news of the empty tomb!
– Pastor Julia