Looking Out 3rd April
Last Saturday I listened to our Moderator, Simon Hansford deliver the opening address to the Healthy Church Expo, held at the Centre for Ministry. Simon spoke about the Uniting Church’s understanding of Worship, Witness and Service, and the way this should impact our churches. In the Basis of Union the role of the Congregation is described as the place where the church worships, witnesses, and serves. It is the place where we meet to regularly hear God’s word, celebrate the sacraments, build one another up in love, share in the wider responsibilities of the church, and to serve the world (BoU 15. (a)).
Three things struck me as I listened to the address, first Simon pointed out that the three hallmarks of being church, worship, witness, and service, must always be informing each other. When we focus solely on one aspect of being the church we will see little growth, we will be as unproductive as the barren fig tree in Luke 13:1-9.
The second thing I wondered about was the place of discipleship within the trinity of church hallmarks. Where does the work of transformation happen, where do we as individuals and as the church grow into the new creation that Paul describes in 2 Corinthians 5:16-21. Is an hour of worship on a Sunday morning enough to bring about real in change in our lives? I cannot offer an answer to that question, it is something we need to work out together as the body of Christ. We can however all reflect on our own growth towards being our best Christlike self, our own journey of discipleship. If we have not become more loving, patient, kind, tolerant, hopeful, accepting, and inclusive we have probably lost sight of this vital aspect of being the church.
The third thing that made me sit up and pay attention was Simon’s comment that every church he has ever visited has always said “We are a welcoming church; we are a friendly church”. That little anecdote raised a laugh from the audience because, we have all heard it and we all say it. Simon went on to affirm that, ‘yes, we are welcoming and friendly’ but asked ‘are we inviting?’ Are we really interested in inviting others into our lives, what would it mean to invite others into the life of the church beyond giving them a cup of tea after service and wondering what spot on the roster they could fill?
What is impossible for us is possible for God. May God’s guiding Spirit show us the way and lead us to the answers.