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But somehow, the church keeps on keeping on.  Somehow, despite the failures and frustrations, the doubts and disappointments, people keep coming back to the church.  Why?  Why bother with church, if there is so much potential for hurt and disappointment?  I think the best reason that people keep coming back to the church is because there is a potential that exists in the church that can not be found anywhere else.  When the church is functioning like Jesus intended it to function when He established it, it is the most awesome, world-transforming thing out there.  When the church is functioning like Jesus intended it to function, every need is cared for with the love of Jesus – the brokenhearted are loved back to wholeness, the poor are blessed with undeserved favor, those who are without receive freely from those who have.  When the church is functioning like Jesus intended it to function, the Spirit of God is at work – healing disease and illness, speaking words of truth and comfort to all who come, empowering people to change the world.  When the church is functioning like Jesus intended it to function, there is authentic community, real, deep friends who know you for who you are and love you anyways, and love you enough to challenge you to become a better person.  When the church is functioning like Jesus intended it to function, your soul is lifted by the worship and the teaching, and you are inspired to be all God created you to be.  When the church is functioning like Jesus intended it to function, everyone goes around knowing that they are serving and giving in the exact way that God created them to serve and give.  You have a group of people saying this is exactly what I was created to do.  And that is why we keep coming back, why we believe so strongly in what we are doing here.

So we live in this tension, caught between the hope of what is possible and the reality that as long as the church is made up of people like you and me, we’re always going to fall short of God’s ideals.  Even though I know what is possible, I can guarantee you that because I am human, I will let down everyone of you.  Even though I have a vision in my head of what the church as Jesus intended it to be would be like, actually living that out is the hardest thing to do.  And so there will be times you feel like I don’t call you enough, or teach God’s word the way that you think it should be taught, or care as deeply about the things you care about as you wish I would.  And I can guarantee you that this church will let you down, that the elders won’t be as spiritual as you think they should be, that the Sunday School won’t be as amazing for your children as you hoped, that some people won’t understand you, won’t smile at you, might forget your birthday or not realize you haven’t showed up for the past month.  So we’re caught in this tension, between the hope of what is possible and the reality that as long as the church is made up of people like you and me, we’re always going to fall short of God’s ideals and our ideals.

But we come back, week after week, believing that if God would only have His way, this church would become a place of unconditional love and welcome, authentic community and real friendship, Spirit-filled power to heal and mend brokenness, transforming ministry and service in this world.  Lord, have your way in our church, we pray.