I joined Christ UMC in Plano in 2001, the first church I called home, after our two daughters and I were baptized there on a December Sunday morning. Little did I know then that being a local church member was to be one of the most formative experiences in my faith life. As I said in the sermon yesterday, God had called me for a long time before I made my commitment to Christ. However, I was still very much a “child” when it came to understanding the biblical meaning of the Church. I loved God but I truly did not feel attached to the church in the same way.
At the risk of embarrassing my husband, I must admit that he was one of the best mentors I had in the first few months at church. Besides knowing his way around, where to find the liturgy in the UM Hymnal, how to say the Lord’s Prayer, and what Sunday class was all about, he basically taught me to be more like a church member. I remember an argument we had leaving church one day. I was complaining about the amount of money he placed in the offering plate. It was way too large and excessive in my opinion. After all, the church always wanted money, always needed money to build larger buildings, and was always in favor of wealthy members, I said. To respond to my complaint, Mark told me, “Mai, you and me are the church; if we don’t support it, the church will die and there will be no church.” It was then I realized going to church is different from being the church and I was called to be the church, to serve the needs of others for whom Christ died, who lack any adequate means of survival, who are hurting and lost, and who are in need both physically and spiritually. To do this, the church does need resources and financial support.
Knowing what I know now, the Church will never die (although local churches do). In forming his Church and charging his disciples to be stewards, Jesus promised that no power can overcome his power and that nothing could destroy his Church (Matthew 16:13-18). It is crucial to realize that any success of the church must be attributed to God’s gift and not ours and that we are all called to be participants in the building and the being of the church. However, our gifts and contributions are essential because the church is not only a place we come to worship and seek fellowship but also we, ourselves, are the church.
See you this Sunday,
Mai
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