Friday's thoughts on Sunday's sermon

"I am the Church"

There are stages we might be going through in our relationship with life and the church we love.

1. There are times when we have failed in so many ways and we feel unworthy. Peter, for example, was a joke most of his life. He was impulsive and confused and inappropriate.

2. Jesus told him he was "the rock" and upon "the rock" he would build the church and he gave him the "keys to the Kingdom". What an incredible turn of events. If Jesus would have been looking for a less obvious leader he couldn't have found one less deserving than Peter. But it gave Peter status. He didn't immediately change his life or his attitude.

3. Jesus called Peter and the other disciples to the table and he gave them the cup and the bread and he said to them, "Take this in remembrance of me". That was what Peter needed. Again, he didn't immediately change his life. He would disown that he knew Jesus after that. He would run for his life when Jesus was arrested, but, in the end, he did come to realize and remember Jesus was present to him and he died giving witness to his faith. He was one of the great leaders of the church. The church made him a Saint. The church built its largest cathedral in Rome to Peter.

What does it take for us to move from a sense of our unworthiness to a sense of our competence?

We, like Peter, can learn it at the table.

We, like Peter, can leave the church with an understanding that says, "the church isn't the leaders or the clergy, or the ushers, or the choir; the church is each of us.

And as we think about it if someone asks us, "Who is the church?" We have a good reason to think about it and to speak of it and to say in response to it, "I am the church".

To what extent are you the church?

Do you ever think to yourself, "I am the church?" The church belongs to me? You have a right and a reason to think it. The church began with one person and the church exists one believer at a time.

What are your thoughts about this? Do you feel ownership in First Church? If you have thoughts on this write me at charlesschuster@fcfumc.net.

If you are willing to share your thoughts with the readers of this blog click on the 'comments' box below.

I look forward to hearing from you.


Charles Schuster