Where do you find church?
One thinker told me recently that he discovered church in the towering trees, in the shimmering lakes, in the happy songs of birds and in the squishy turf he felt under his shoes as he strolled through the forest near his home. The marvels of creation around him required acknowledgement of a power greater than himself, he said, and the quiet and calm of the wilderness gave him mental space to feel close to God.
Some people argue that church is a building or a place with a physical address. Others might argue it’s a state of mind that exists independent of any geographical location. I like to think of church as feeling close to God regardless of where a GPS locator may pinpoint your location.
Church is not in a place or in an edifice anymore then freedom is in the Statue of Liberty standing in New York Harbor. The statue symbolizes an artist’s conception of liberty, but the figure does not embody liberty.
I’ve been in many church buildings that had no feeling of church inside. And I’ve been in gatherings of people outside of worship halls that felt very holy, proving to me that church is not a physical place we go, but closeness to God we feel.
Worshippers often need the discipline of organized church services to maintain an on-going spiritual perspective and remain part of a spiritual family that supports their ideals. When organized religion is spiritualizing the public’s thought and bringing them closer to God it is fulfilling a good purpose and is worthy of support.
I’m curious. Where do you find church? And what form does it take in your life?
Please share your ideas in the comment section below.
I was on a trip for business close to where my Mother lives 1000 miles away. Due to our scheudles, we were only able to spend time together for a brief time when she drove me from my final meeting to curbside check-in at the airport. When she got out to give me a hug good-bye, she held me tightly for a few extra moments and whispered in my ear, “You feel like home to me.” The power and strength of the Love she expressed so clearly to me then made me realize fully that God is everywhere, even in the whispers.
CS-Colorado
If church were only a physical local, what happens if you find yourself alone in the wilderness or you live in a country far away from any religious instititutions? That’s why I love Mary Baker Eddy’s definition of church: “The structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle.” What a comfort to learn that church is with you wherever you go, and available to you at any moment. We can always be in church.
This definition has helped me also, when I look at the human institution of church and see its failings; battles of human will and strife among members. It can seem very discouraging at times. But the church serves a purpose as laid out by Mary Baker Eddy. “The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick.”
So there’s work to be done; church is where we grow and strive to prove and to perfect our understanding of God.
Listening to The Mother Church service on my shortwave receiver back in the ’80’s on the edge of Blake Island with sea water on my toes and the longwire whipped up into the trees overhead! I stared out over the water and felt the love of man for that Love that was embracing the world in that service and sermon. A holy moment I experienced often with the shortwave programs from The First Church of Christ, Scientist and the Sentinel. I hope they will return to shortwave broadcasting.