God is still working !

From time to time most of us will get rather depressed about the state of the Church today – we look around and often see large Church buildings with very few worshippers, and many of them seem hopelessly divided. Pessimistically people talk of the demise of the Church, and perhaps even of a society where there would be no Churches. We worry about money, we worry about buildings, we worry about a lack of children in Church, we worry about all kinds of things !

But this evening in the New Testament reading (Acts 7:44-50), I think Stephen, who would become the first Christian martyr, had a message for the Church today. Just to recap a little bit, Stephen had gone about preaching the gospel. We are told that he was full of grace and power, and did great wonders and signs among the people.

But like many people who fight to do good, and offer a good news message, he had upset some people, and this had resulted in his arrest. He was a threat to the Jewish religious order and systems and as such, he had to be eliminated. And so he was brought before the council to defend himself.

And as he gave a long defence he spoke about the history of the Jewish worship. He spoke of the Tent of Testimony which was a kind of moving place of worship which the Jewish people had used during their period in the wilderness. It was the place where people felt closest to God.

Later as they returned, they brought with them this tent, and it continued to be used for a long time, until eventually the idea of building a Temple was offered. This idea was controversial as people liked the idea of the moving Tabernacle, and felt that building a Temple would restrict God to just one place.

And here is where the great misunderstanding came, and it was this misunderstanding that Stephen addressed before the accusing Council. He made the point that God could never be contained to just a building – a building may be a beautiful tribute to a wonderful God, it may be a place where people feel especially close to God, but God is not a being who dwells in only one place at a time – God is all around us, God is constantly with us, never leaving us.

But this is a trap that we all fall into – most of us will have a favourite Church, most of us will feel a particular allegiance to a building, and maybe feel most comfortable with God when we are in that place. But if we allow that feeling to dominate our understanding of God then we will be restricting the power and the wonder of God, because the reality is that we are in the presence of God when waking, when sleeping, when getting up, sitting down, watching rugby, going to the pictures – wherever we are we are in the presence of God.

And this is good news for the Church today. In no way does God want us to stop working hard for our Church buildings – they are there for his glory, they are there as instruments of his love and power, they are there to help people in their journey of faith, but the good news is that even with any of the problems that Churches face today, God remains in control, and God remains strong.

I am sure that the depression that many people feel about the Church today, a depression which many in the media seem to particularly enjoy, is not a depression that is shared by God, and it really isn’t a depression that should be shared by any of his people.

As we recognise that God is not restricted to buildings our mission field becomes greater and our areas of ministry become wider. Our mission does not happen primarily when we are in Church, but outside the building as we speak to people, and work to show the love of God. Someone once wrote, ‘The Church is never a place, but always a people; never a fold, but always a flock; never a sacred building, but always a believing assembly. The Church is you who pray, not where you pray.’

There’s a short story about an Amish boy and his father who were visiting a shopping centre one day. They were amazed by almost everything they saw, but especially by 2 shiny silver walls that could move apart and back together again. The boy asked his father ‘What is this ?’ And the father never having seen a lift before replied, ‘ I have never seen anything like it – I really don’t know what it is.’

And while the boy and his father were watching, a really elderly lady walked up slowly, pressed a button, and when the doors opened she got inside. The boy and his father watched as the numbers went up on the little screen, and then they watched as the numbers came back down again, and at that point the door opened and out walked an incredibly beautiful young woman – amazed at the transition of this woman from a frail and elderly lady into this beautiful woman, the father said to the son, ‘Quick, go and get your mother !’

The Church building doesn’t do quick fixes, it doesn’t provide transformation instantly – it is God who does that…, the God of new life, hope, joy, peace and love.

We preach a God of hope, a God of miraculous saving power, we know a God who has conquered even death for the sake of his people, and that is the message that we must be living out.

It may be a bit corny to say, but there is some truth in the fact that suffering and adversity often bring out the best in people, and the problems that the Church faces today must be approached with courage and with expectance – the courage to continue to preach this wonderful gospel, assured of God’s love and mercy and strength, and the expectance that through the power of the Holy Spirit God will continue to work in a world that desperately needs him, and with people who, whether they know it or not, are desperately searching for him. AMEN