April 12, 2009, Resurrection Sunday

Last night I was thinking about some things, about how the whole situation with the church, not just RLC, but us, THE church, is just messed up at times. And then I thought about the song “If We Are the Body” and a specific line – “A traveler is far away from home. He sheds his coat, and quietly sinks into the back row. The weight of their judgmental glances tells him that his chances are better out on the road.” And I started to wonder, how many people fit this persons? Being judged by the way they look, by what they wear, by how they talk. And how many others simply go unnoticed? Their pain quietly hiding behind their smile. We are supposed to be the body, Christ IN us. Yet, how many of us have been the one who didn’t notice someone because we were so busy with US? So consumed with the current gossip that we don’t even realize the person next to us is crying. This is me, being very open at the moment, but please don’t take this wrong – I have been married for just about 20 years now, yet at “church,” I am in fact single. Or as I like to say, too married to be single, too single to be married. In other words, I don’t “fit” in a category. There is no “single in marriage” bible study. I say that VERY lightheartedly because I think that title would be TERRIBLE! But my point is, although people know that, they don’t know me or what it is like. And there have been times I have been the one who was crying sitting next to you and no one noticed. Knowing that I have experienced that, I wonder how many others there are? You know, the kid who dresses in black and people judge them as gothic, or even suicidal or worse, demonic. And the woman whose husband hits her, did anyone see her bruise? What about the husband whose wife just left him, did you see him? Did you see the family who just lost everything? Did you talk to the lady whose kids are in so much trouble she just doesn’t know where they could end up? And what about the couple who just lost their child? Or the young adult who just wants to hear truth and be trusted? Or the teenager who so wants to find out who they are, but they are failing in school. What about the young lady who doesn’t think she is beautiful? Or the dad who can’t provide for his family any longer? Or the pastor who did something that has caused him to loose everything? Did you see them?
There is another part of the song, the chorus: “But if we are the Body, Why aren't His arms reaching Why aren't His hands healing Why aren't His words teaching And if we are the Body Why aren't His feet going Why is His love not showing them there is a way?” And it makes me wonder, when are we going to BE Jesus? When will we finally look so much like we say we are that people return to Jesus? There was a time that those who were in need knew they could turn to the body of Christ, the church, and find what they need. Yes, they need Jesus and yes, people are sharing the gospel, but then what? The worst part about this is that it is often other believers that we don’t notice. The ones who are supposed to already belong to the body, after all, that is what we are, the body. And, just like in our physical body, if a part of our body is hurting, the rest of it feels the hurt and does what needs to be done to fix it. So it is supposed to be for the spiritual body, even more so. In the book of Acts it speaks of the body meeting together in such a way that NO ONE WAS IN NEED. It wasn’t that no one had needs; it was that when the need came up, it was taken care of by the church!
When are we going to be the body? When are we going to be the church? When are we going to be Jesus to the world, you know, like we are supposed to be? It’s time we stopped making sure everyone knows we are Christians and just start BEING Christian.