The feast of the Lateran Basilica is a good time to reflect on what it means to be church. In his letter to the Corinthians Paul reminds us that the church is more than a building, it is a community of people, with all the challenges and blessings that brings. Writing to the Corinthians he says:
“You are God’s building…Didn’t you realise that you were God’s temple and that the Spirit of God was living among you?… the temple of God is sacred; and you are that temple.”
His words are hopeful and empowering. They remind us however challenging we find life the spirit of God is dwelling in it with us. Yet it is not enough to believe these words in our hearts, they have to shape how we live and that brings a whole new challenge with it.
It’s easy to believe that we are the living stones that make up the community of the church when we are with people who agree with us, who are like us, who we feel comfortable with. That is not our call.
The temple Paul calls us to be part of is a community of love that includes everyone. It includes those we feel comfortable with, those who challenge or offend us and even those who we find simply annoying. George Eliot’s sums up the call to be church up in her book, Adam Bede:
“Everyone, must be accepted as they are – you can neither straighten their noses, nor brighten their wit, nor rectify their dispositions; and it is these people – amongst whom your life is past – that it is needful that you should tolerate, pity, and love…”
The church is not a church of people who know the answers, who are right, who have their lives under control. Instead, it’s a church of the ordinary people with life’s that are sometimes messy, broken and damaged. That is the source of our hope and rejoicing because it means that we can find a home here with whatever messiness and brokenness we carry
Where are you aware of God’s indwelling spirit in your life today?