Given as our church gatherings take place on Sunday nights, I find myself often out and about working on Sunday mornings to prepare matters for the evening. Inevitably I see so much that is going on around town on a Sunday. It is a vantage point I enjoy in my incessant processing of matters of this new community I live in. Of course with my passion and desire to see Christ glorified in, around, over, under, and through ALL THINGS, I love seeing the number or cars in the parking lots of those true Bible-based churches in my community. It is evidence that there is likely a good amount of biblical content being taught, and songs sung, and relationships built and service opportunities being fulfilled. And in these things I rejoice.
But there is a whole other world that exists every Sunday. While the collective number of cars at these many churches in town was indeed great, still it was nearly nothing compared to all the other cars I saw around town that day. Collectively I saw many more cars in the parking lots of shopping centers, at restaurants, and in driveways. It wouldn't even be worthwhile to compare how paltry the number of cars in the parking lots of these churches was compared with everywhere else.
If indeed these attending churches on Sunday (which yes, I realize is not the only day to attend church services) is any reflection of lives that are transformed or potentially being transformed by Christ, and if those cars elsewhere on Sunday is any reflection of lives that are not transformed or being transformed by Christ, then, I argue, the body of Christ has a massive amount of work to do in order to reach these who are not visible in our Sunday gatherings.
Today happens to be Monday. I happened to drive past a number of these same church buildings today. I noticed far fewer cars, or no cars at all. Of course, many of these churches will have a variety of ministry gatherings throughout this week both in their respective buildings and in the community and in their homes, and in that I rejoice. However, it all challenged my thinking once more when I realized that every person who was in a church service yesterday morning (or another day/time) is now not at the church building. The church gathering is not going on, but the church is now dispersed all over. They are throughout in the community, at their job, taking their kids to school, at the local cafe, in their neighborhoods, or elsewhere. As we see it, the church isn't meeting today, but will have to wait until next Sunday. But as God sees it, the church is still in tact today, and He is seeking to use people and make much of Christ through it all. I just have to wonder, "How are we - THE CHURCH - doing?"
It is very likely that for most of those who attended church even yesterday, their day today will not be filled with meeting with all those who were alongside them in church yesterday, but rather they will find themselves alongside many more of those who WERE NOT IN CHURCH yesterday. And it is very unlikely that as things stand, if we continue matters as status quo, that none of these who weren't in church last weekend will suddenly be there next weekend.
So what if we started to see church a bit more broadly? What if instead of thinking merely as church from Sunday to Sunday (or whatever midweek programs you may be involved with for church), that instead we view ourselves as the church? What if God suddenly began to open up our hearts to realize that we need to take what we heard of Christ, and the good news and hope we have IN HIM, and started sharing that on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday? The reality is God is glorified as we gather together on Sundays. The reality is God delights in a sermon about His glory and grace in Christ being proclaimed on Sundays. The reality is that God desires songs sung to Him, about Him, by His people on Sunday. And the reality is that we, His people, enjoy much of Sundays as we grow in worship, service, Christlikeness, and community. But the further reality is that our predominant view of church seems to say that He is ONLY LORD of Sundays (or midweek programs). The reality is that most of our time as humans is spent not in a church building. It is spent at home, in our neighborhoods, or at work in our outside our immediate community. We will have seasons of school as well, where we will spend considerable time. And in this God is worthy of worship, praise, adoration, service, and sacrifice. And His worth should be expressed in not just all we do, but all we might even say as a spokesperson for Him in the arena He has positioned us as we proclaim the gospel of the glory of Christ.
So let the empty church parking lots you and I pass by on Mondays remind us that as we go We are Entering the Mission Field. And in all this, let us continue to learn what it is to BE the CHURCH, as opposed to just meeting for church, and let us learn that we are the church EVERYDAY, not merely on Sundays.
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