What is "Church" to you?

"Church" is one of those words that can have many definitions to many people. In some Pentecostal circles, to say "man, we really had Church" usually refers to some type of emotional experience in which the Pastor doesn't get to preach. (I've never really figured that one out) To some, Church is social or even political obligation. To others, Church is a lifes work. Church is the hope of help to some and the source of ambition for others. There are many varied and distinctive possibilities of what Church is, depending upon where one is coming from.

There is a line in the Todd Agnew song, "My Jesus", that states, "My Jesus would never be accepted in my Church. The blood and dirt on his feet might stain the carpet." There were some events that occured this past week, (not in my Church) and a conversation that I overheard that took me back a few years.

When Debbie and I were first married, (21 years ago this Thursday) we began to attend an Independant Church. This Church has met for years in a small and overcrowded little building. They had grown to the point where the building was practically bursting at the seams. At the point where we began to attend there, they had built a beautiful, new building that was more than adequate in size, with plentious parking and more land attached for future growth. The Sanctuary was carpeted in a very dark, maroon color. It was beautiful but not a good color for a very public building.

They hadn't been in the building long when we started to attend. In fact, the parking was still a mixture of limestone and gravel. The second week that we attended there, it was raining. I dropped Deb off at the door and went to park the car. Coming into the building I did wipe my feet. I thought I had adequately done so. I went to sit with Debbie. About halfway through the second song one of the Deacons tapped me on the shoulder and pointed out that I had tracked that mixture of limestone and gravel into the building, on that beautiful carpet. It wasn't a, "Hey, just so you know" type of thing. This man was angry. I had messed up "His Church!"

Luckily for him, I had grown up in Church and had become pretty thick skinned. In fact, it even upset him more when I shrugged it off, turned around and went back to singing. Yes, I was embarrased and humiliated but no one there was going to know it! Come to find out, the man was one that most every Church has. The one with "the money."

Now don't get me wrong. This was a great Church and they went on to do many wonderful things and this man eventually grew to at least tolerate me, if not like me. But what if I hadn't been thick skinned? What if I had been someone that just walked in off the street? As far as he knew, I was!

The problem is that sometimes our personal view of what "Church" is, can sometimes overshadow what Church is supposed to be. If our view of Church has no room for the lost, the dying and the hurting then we may as well entomb ourselves within our beautiful carpeting because we are dead already.

I had the privilege of preaching to a young man yesterday that had NEVER been in a Church before. That is hard for some to believe but I promise you that this young man is not alone. The question we must always ask ourselves is this. If they walk through our door, what image of "Church" will they leave with?

Church is many things to many people but the one thing that it should ALWAYS be to everyone is this. Christ, reaching his arms out to the world! Dirty feet and all!