The final session of the Alpha course on Tuesday night unpacked the question, ‘What is the Church?’. When we asked this question in our discussion group it was interesting that no one said the Church is a ‘building’. Most of the answers were reflected in the five areas mentioned in the Alpha talk. The Church is… friends, family, home, Jesus (the body of Christ), and love. Each of these transcends age, gender, race, and social status.

When I think about Church, I picture people. People of all ages and stages, people of different races and languages, people who choose to gather together, to fellowship with one another, to worship God, to express their love for Jesus and for others. People who aren’t perfect, but who support and encourage each other, who celebrate together, who struggle together, who grieve together. I picture people who care, who serve, who give generously, who share and use their gifts to bless others. I picture a place where people are loved, accepted and welcomed and where the love of Christ brings light and hope. I picture all of YOU and I am thankful for my Church, my family.

While the Church isn’t merely a ‘building’, it is a home: “you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles…with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone…..You are being made into a house where God lives through his Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22)

I hope and pray that you feel welcomed and accepted, loved and cared for in this place, our church ‘home’, where the Spirit of God is present among us.

Blessings,

Sarah

Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash