Monday, December 28, 2015

The Church Being the Church


This morning I was sitting with a family from our church who had just experienced the loss of a loved one from a battle with cancer.  As we were talking about the journey of wading through what I call the "swamp of grief," I heard a story that brought incredible joy to my heart.

Last week after our Candlelight Christmas Eve service, a group of folks from our church went to this family's home to do some Christmas Caroling.  They had been keeping tabs on them and knew it had been a tough few weeks in and out of hospitals, so they decided to give of their time and offer a little bit of Christmas cheer.  As the story was being told to me, the family said, "That was Christmas for us!"

A simple gesture of love and friendship that made more of an impact than any one of the carolers probably realized.

What a great picture of the Church in action.  Paying attention to one another.  Being mindful of each other's burdens.  Listening to the Spirit and taking action to share the love and light of God with one another.

We didn't need a Christmas Caroling program.  We didn't have to get approval from a committee.  No one from the staff or leadership group needed to be in charge.  God's people were simply being God's people - fully empowered to carry His love and light into the world around them.

What an honor it is to be a part of the Church being the Church!

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