The Beautiful Church

By the time I get to church, after having wrangled 3 little boys and the pile of books I think I need to bring with me, I land in my fold-out chair with an oomph, only half remembering why I came.

There are announcements, a prayer, then music. A boy to my left takes off his shoes. Up front, strong grandpa hands raise up. It’s just us and God of the Universe.

I sit next to dear friends. I know them well. They know me. We look around the room, we the church. How many stories are here? How many ways have we failed, the most broken, jacked up bunch of people I’ve ever seen.

The church is beautiful. I get mad at her sometimes, but she is me. We meet together, and we feel close to home – smell the home-cooking, are citizens together, built up together. Nothing in common except death, burial, and resurrection.

We are all here grasping. We ask: How high? How wide? Long, High, Deep? This love surpasses knowledge, but we try so hard to know. We try to imagine together, though He can do immeasurably more than even that.

Church, this is you saying what is true:

To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

*post by Amber Haines; video compiled by Seth Haines.

*Thank you Thank you Thank you, Beautiful Church, for coming together from several corners of the world and from many walks of life to speak what is true.