I am the church.

I am the Church.

You are the Church.  We are the Church.

Many people over the years, both famous and otherwise, have made statements about their fondness for Christ while expressing a dis-satisfaction with Christians – with the Christian Church.  But it hasn’t stopped there.  Much of this sentiment, I fear, has penetrated the hearts of many Christians to the point where they now view church, or The Church as a disembodied institution, a location of facilities, or a fallen bureaucracy. 

“The problem with the Church is…”  “The Church has done a bad job with ___…”  “The Church needs to wake up and ____…”  

These statements didn’t use to bother me, but then I read Paul’s second epistle to the Church in Corinth, and his encouragement for them to “take every thought captive.” 

What is the Church?  Who is the Church?  What is our mission and purpose?

Several years ago, a newspaper had published an article which highlighted many of the problems in the world – things like crime, violence, pollution and so forth.  The headline and prevailing message of the article were summarized in a single question: “Who is to blame?”  G.K. Chesterton, who is now a well-known author, quickly wrote a response to the newspaper: “In regards to your question, ‘Who is to blame?’ – I am.  Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton”

Chesterton’s response at first takes me by surprise, but as I allow his simple message to play out, a smile creeps over my face.  Chesterton has found a way to rebel against our fallen human nature and lead the charge where few are willing to go.  

In a fallen world, people point fingers, find fault, ascribe blame and “pass the buck.”  If something isn’t the way it should be, it’s probably someone else’s fault, or at least someone else’s responsibility to fix.  At its best, this tactic allows us to save face, look intelligent, or even act the hero – cleaning up other people’s messes.  But this tactic is rarely at its best, and more often than not it results in apathetic and un-responsible people.  

Think about it, you or I can make a statement about what’s wrong with the Church in America, and in so doing we’ve disconnected ourselves from this organism – this living, breathing, hope of the world, beautiful bride of Christ.  We’ve separated ourselves from it, and freed ourselves from any responsibility to be a part of the solution – it’s someone else’s job to fix it, and our opinion is just as important as Scripture, maybe even more so (sarcasm alert)…

Chesterton’s response is brilliant in its simplicity.  He refuses to point the finger at someone else, and accepts responsibility instead.    

The reality, of course, is that Chesterton is not solely responsible for every good and bad thing in the world.  He is, rather, a member of the human race, and speaks on behalf of us as an encouragement to stop the pointless cycle of fault-finding and finger-pointing, ascribing blame to others.  We cannot really hope for change or improvement until we break the cycle of fallen humanity and become a part of the solution.

In fallen humanity the cycle of mortality is life and then death, but in the Kingdom of God the roles are reversed.  In order to be a part of the solution – to embrace our identity as The Church or as Christians – we must resist the urge to bring death where we go, and insist on bringing life instead.  Breathe life into your relationships, to your workplace, to your family, and even into your driving.  “Christ in you, the hope of glory” is not something we do, but rather an identity we embrace as we give the Holy Spirit free-reign of our hearts. 

I am the Church.