"And also I tell you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church."
-Matthew 16:18
The word used for church is ἐκκλησία, ekklēsia. This comes directly from the preposition ἐκ, meaning "from," or "out of", and the verb καλέω, "to call". This word thus means "the called out," as God has called His people out from the world to serve Him over all else. And so comes the common claim that the church is not a building but a group of people, specifically the followers of God. Great. But if we truly believe this, why do we make going to a service on Sunday to hear a sermon the pinnacle of the Christian's week? Does this not entrench the word church as a location and not a community?
I actually cannot remember the last time I went to "church" although it has been around eight months. This unsettles me. Not because of my lack of attendance. Instead, I feel unsettled because in the last eight months I have: 1) grown to love God more, 2) grown to love people more, and 3) feel a greater need to serve others than ever before. Yet how can this be? I have not heard a sermon in eight months! I have not even sung a worship song! I have removed myself from the community of God! ...But have I really?
In the same span of time, I have continued to read the Bible daily. I pray several times a day. I attempt to live more like Christ and less like a silly, immature human. Finally, importantly, I have shared my life more than ever with those around me. To those who know me, this latter proposition may seem somewhat inaccurate. However, by the words "more than ever", I do not mean with regards to time but instead with regards to how I share that time. Never have I shared my life more confidently and willingly. This latter fact actually inspired much of the growth I have seen in recent times. As I more fully share in life with those around me, I love them more. What I have found is that this love easily spreads itself to one for all people, even those unknown to me. I additionally love God more as I see Him reflected in those around me.
I could go further, but ultimately, I think that the time has come to redefine what church looks like. We utter the phrase "going to church" as if we need to go to a building to be in community. This is a lie; we are the community of God, not only while inside a building on Sundays at 9 am but at every place, every time. Going to church is not a monologic sermon. And it is certainly not a so-called megapastor living in wealth or a reticent leader unable to truly share their life with their congregation because they need to keep up appearances. Following this, I propose that "going to church" is defined by communally raising up "the least of these", caring for the sick, serving the poor, and giving love to the oppressed. Even more simply, it is sharing in the lives of those around you, experiencing their joys and successes, their pains and struggles, and believing in them when they cannot believe in themselves. Less radically, going to church would easily include a Bible study as well, and at the end of the day, going to church is meeting God as we find Him among our interactions with our brothers and sisters. But we must never confine church to a time or a place.
And with that, when was the last time you went to church?