Do Church/Be the Church

Meditation

I want to ask you to consider a question for a moment. What is the difference, if there is a difference, between doing church and being the church? (Look for a response)

When we speak of doing church, we speak of attending worship services, singing hymns and songs, praying for one another, giving our tithes and offerings, and considering the word of God through a message. We are referring to the sacraments, the Lord’s Supper and baptism and other religious rites. Doing church might even include going to meetings, being on committees, and participating in projects. Doing church is important because it is a part of what we do to express our faith and love to one another and to God.

Doing church is important. When we speak of doing church, we speak of attending worship services, singing hymns and songs, praying for one another and considering the word of God through a message. We are referring to the sacraments, the Lord’s Supper and baptism.

But that is not just what we call it today. The tradition of “doing church” began all the way back in the first century, in the beginning of the history of the church. But lets not stop there. Although they didn’t use the same word in Hebrew, we can trace the tradition of “doing church” all the way back to 1400 bc, during the time of Moses and the giving of the law. God prescribed in the law how he wanted his people to worship him. He gave strict rules about sacrifices, burnt offerings, the feasts and celebrations.

That is why it sounds odd when we read in Isaiah, “The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats.” (, NIV84)

Doing church is important because it is a part of what we do to express our faith and love to one another and to God.

So did God want them to follow the law he had given them? Did he want them to bring their burnt offerings and sacrifices before him. Did he want them to attend the feasts and holidays?

Does God want us to come together and worship him? Does he want us to offer our praise and adoration to him in song, in prayer, in our fellowship, in our tithes and offerings? Yes he does! The problem wasn’t in the offerings and sacrifices they brought. The problem was their heart. There problem wasn’t in their worship, it was in their life.

the word of God encourages us to do church, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (, NIV84) And Paul wrote to the church at Colosia, “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” , NIV84) So doing church is good and pleases the Lord.

So doing church is good and pleases the Lord.

But in Old Testament times offering sacrifices and burnt offerings was doing church. The priest offering up prayers with incense, reading from the sacred scrolls and chanting from the psalms was all a part of the Law of Moses and commanded by God. Doing church back then was good too, right?

Therefore, Micah wrote, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (8)

Yes. But, here is the problem. Doing church is no substitute for being the church. In fact, if we allow doing church to become more important than being the church, our worship, our sacraments, our praise and prayers become empty.

The difference between doing church and being the church isn’t what we do when we are in here, it is what we are doing when we are out there. We can come in here and put on our church faces; sing our songs, lift up our prayers to the Lord, fellowship to our hearts content. We can put a wad of cash in the offering plate and even say an amen once in a while during the message. But all of that is meaningless, if we don’t live that way when we leave these four walls.

When Jesus addressed the religious leaders of his day, he said, “You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.” (, NIV84)

The difference between doing church and being the church is what we do out there. Does our life say we love the Lord? Do our actions say we are followers of Jesus? Do we put the needs of others before our own? That is what Jesus did.

Jesus called them hypocrites, because they knew better! But they put so much emphesis on keeping the law, on doing church, they neglicted doing what was really important: Sharing God’s love and compassion for others in need.

We come around this table this morning to remember what Jesus did for us. We don’t come to remember how he kept the law or how he worshiped or even how he prayed. We come to remember how he put us before himself, how he was willing to give of himself on our behalf, how he endured the cross that we might have the forgiveness of sin.

When they saw others being treated unjustly, they looked the other way. When they should have shown mercy to others, they condemned them instead. When they had the opportunity to step out on faith, they stayed in their comfort zone.

We must not follow the examples of the Jewish leaders who put more emphesis on doing church than being the church. We need to instead follow the example of Jesus who put others first, who showed mercy instead of condemnation and who lived a life of faith as an example for us to follow.

Being the church can be expressed many different ways, but it all boils down to what Jesus did, putting others first. When faced with the cross, Jesus put us first. He knew our needs. He knew that without his sacrifice we would be hopelessly lost. And in doing so, he gave us the right o become children of God and a member of the church.

So we need to be the church.