It happens in my house, too. On Saturday night, without fail, somebody will ask, “So, what time are we going to church in the morning?” “Ten,” I usually say without a blink. Or “8:30,” depending on how late the question is asked.
Once in a while, though, when I’m feeling a little feisty, I’ll say, “We’re not going to church in the morning.” “What?!?” come the surprised responses. “Why not?!”
“Because we are the church, remember? Tomorrow, we’re going to meet up with the rest of the church for worship.” Mostly they all just roll their eyes at me and hope they don’t have to hear the sermon again, the one where I remind them that the church isn’t a building, the church is people. They’ve heard this one a thousand times. “You’re a freak, Mom,” my son says. I just smile. “You asked,” I say.
Over the next few days, we’ll explore some of the people in the Bible who were chosen to help share the good news and how that teaches us about our own identity as evangelical people created by the Holy Spirit, called by Jesus to participate in God’s mission to love, bless and save the whole world.
Today is the 11th Sunday after Pentecost. This message was adapted from “Act Boldly for Mission” by Kelly Fryer that appeared in the July/August 2007 issue of Lutheran Woman Today (now Gather) magazine.