I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE COMMUNION OF SAINTS

Marcela Froese, Youth Pastor

During the COVID19 pandemic our perception and experience of church was totally turned upside down. Unable to meet as usual in our buildings, many churches around the world had to get creative. Some held parking lot services where the worship and sermon were broadcast onto the radio and people tuned in from their cars, others encouraged cohorts to meet as mini house churches and host their own weekly services, and many, many, many other churches (ours included) chose to livestream their services.

It was so cool! It felt so special to know that every Sunday, even though we were on our own, there were other Christians all around the city worshipping in the exact same way, at the exact same time

The excitement of the first few weeks quickly turned into habit and routine, and this new way to do church got some of us wondering… What even is church? Is church a time to worship? Is church listening to a sermon? Is church spending time in prayer? Is church catching up with friends?

As restrictions started to wean and church buildings opened up again, un church-goers were faced with having to decide whether to go back to the old ways, or stick to this new online way going to church.

If church is the musical worship, I can find some beautiful worship concerts available on YouTube. If church is listening to a sermon, there's a thousand and one podcasts on Spotify that offer preaching about the exact topic I’m interested in, in exactly the way I want to hear it. If church is spending time in prayer, there are countless apps that offer guided prayer sessions and help me keep track of my prayers. If church is catching up with friends then a phone call or text can quickly arrange that.

Why would we want to return to our church buildings when everything that church is made up of is easily available from the comfort of our own homes? Why can’t we do church on our own? The answer to this is found in the word “church" itself. The word that we translate in the New Testament as “church” is the Greek word ekklesia. This Greek word most directly translates to “assembly” or “gathering”.

So why go back to “the old ways”? Because it's impossible for us to “gather” or “assemble” on our own.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.”

When we do church on our own, we get to pick and choose what God teaches us. We curate the experience to suit our needs and likes exactly and in doing so, take away any opportunity to be discipled, sharpened, and strengthened by the people in our church community - even by those people we might not expect.

The Apostle’s Creed says, “I believe in the… Holy Spirit, the holy catholic* church. the communion of saints.” (*that is, the true Christian church of all times and all places)

That is what Church is: a communion of saints.

Worship, preaching, prayer and fellowship are essential parts of the Church experience, but at its core - Church is a communion of God’s saints.

My encouragement to you today is to think about where Church lands on your list of priorities. And as you do, meditate on the fact that the regular gathering of Christians has historically been important enough to make it into one of our oldest statements of faith.

If Church is one of your top priorities, I pray that as you attend regularly, it will not become a simple habit, but that every week you will encounter Jesus in a new way.

If you recognize that Church is low on your priorities list and you want it to be higher, I pray that God will help you reorganize your life in such a way that you can make time to gather with his people. May he give you grace and ability as you change your schedules and activities for Him.

See you on Sunday 😉