40 Lives

These past couple Sundays we've taken up a special offering for Imagine No Malaria.  Read more here.

I am proud to announce that as a church we have saved 40 lives.  40 human lives.  40 grandfathers, daughters, nieces, teachers.

40 lives.

That is amazing!  40 miracles!

The word CHURCH

Today I was re-reading a chapter from the book The Andrew Paradigm.                                              

At least once a chapter the author, Bishop Michael J. Coyner, invites someone he considers to be a good example of a "Lead Follower" to respond to a question Jesus asks in Scripture.

During the Intro of Part I a young adult named Ben Boruff responses.

He writes, "A friend once asked me why I am a Christian.  I struggled to reply. My mind pictured church-related items such as pews and praise bands, but none of those things helped me explain why I am a Christian. There are many personal and theological reasons why I call myself a Christian, but at that moment I could only think of hymnals and acolyte sticks."

Boruff's response got me thinking:  What do you think when you hear the word CHURCH?  Do you think of pews and hymnals and acolyte sticks?  Do you think of the building where you worship?  Do you feel guilty? Happy? Angry? Peaceful? Hopeful? Joyful?

Do you think of the community of folks you worship with? Pray with? Eat with? Open up to and support?  Do you see the faces of the men and women who support you and keep you accountable? Who you support and keep accountable?

What do you think when you hear the word CHURCH?

Feel free to comment with your answer!

WE are the CHURCH

When I was growing up one of my favorite hymns was "We Are The Church" (in fact it is still one of my favorites).  I love the words.  It really hammers home the idea that we are the church.  We don't just go to church, we ARE the church.

In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul writes, "For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body..." (1 Cor. 12:13).  We, as Christians, are the body of Christ.  All of us all together make up Jesus here on earth.  So when we are at the grocery store or the movie theater or out with friends for dinner we represent Jesus on earth.

Similarly all Christians make up the church.  No matter where we go, we are the church, wherever we are. We at Lebanon have a sign outside our building that says, "Lebanon United Methodist Church."  That sign isn't referring to the building, it's referring to the people to come together in that building.  The people in our church family make up Lebanon United Methodist Church, we don't go to Lebanon United Methodist Church.

Following you'll find the lyrics to, "We Are The Church."  What do you think of them?  Do they challenge you in any way?  Do you think of yourself as the church or as someone who goes to church?

We Are The Church

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we're the church together!

The church is not a building, the church is not a steeple,  the church is not a resting place; the church is a people!

We're many kinds of people, with many kinds of faces, all colors and all age, too, from all times and places.

And when the people gather, there's singing and there's praying; there's laughing and there's crying sometimes, all of it saying,

At Pentecost some people received the Holy Spirit and told the good news through the world
to all who would hear it.

I am the church! You are the church! We are the church together! All who follow Jesus, all around the world, yes, we're the church together!