What does a Church look like?

I've been thinking lot this week about what constitutes the Church,
how you know it when you see it
how it makes the presence of God discernible and tangible and real.

Jesus said, "by this they shall know that you are my disciples: If you have love for one another."
He also said, "Love one another as I have loved you. Abide in my love."

Well, that's a clue.

Turns out after a long season of trying to diagnose a problem in my body that has been as frustrating and elusive as the electrical on your car ("no, really, it was doing the weirdest thing just yesterday!")
It turns out, as I say, that I need pretty extensive surgery, and that I will do that on Monday.
The doctor tells me to expect 7 days in the hospital and a month off work. This is lots more than I bargained for, and I am working at accepting this, and trusting, and co-operating with my own healing.

At times I have been very frightened, and I know it has frightened many of the dear members of this family of faith.

Where is the Grace in THAT?!?
Well, I will tell you.

There is grace in each person who has stepped up to take something on: the stewardship campaign, child care, rides, casseroles, comfort, encouragement. There is grace as people take on ministry tasks one after another- finding preachers and teaching new member classes and even organizing the personnel reviews for staf.

The leaders in this congregation make the love of Christ visible because they make this ministry their own- they are not consumers of religious benefits or clients who come weekly for blessings. They are fellow laborers in God's work, and they witness to the fact that this work does not depend on any one person- not even the pastor. They know that THEY are called to make the love of Jesus real in this place, and they are all about doing it. They ARE the church.

This is humbling, but full of joy and freedom, and full of encouragement because it makes itso clear that God is present here, and the Spirit is at work.

I got lots of incredible email this week. Here, too, the Grace is visible: see if you can't see it.

I wish I could do this for you! But, of course, I can't, and you wouldn't let anyone else do it anyway.
So, the two of us will accompany you as best we can, along with all of the"saints" of the church and beyond.
The path is crowded with us, but there is room for more, and by Monday, the path AND THE OPERATING ROOM will be filled with us. Remember Monday, as they bring you into the operating room, to look around you and "see" us!
The surgery staff may not see us, but you will.

And the operating table? NOT! Our hands are holding you up to God!!

This, my friends, is the Church of Jesus Christ- the 'great cloud of witnesses' Hebrews talks about, the people who "bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."

How grateful I am for this vision of how I am surrounded, and upheld in love.
I will be leaning on each of you, my friends, and on the love of the Holy One you represent
As I do what is before me.

Meanwhile, thanks be to God and to you.
Sandy