We knock on the door, a young boy answers, and even though he can’t remember our names, his face lights up – “It’s the church!!”
In the moment Alyssa and I look at each other and give a little laugh, how cute we think. It doesn’t hit me until later the power in those three words.
There are many kids (adults too I am sure) who don’t remember our names. I don’t hold this against them, as I will ask your name 10 times myself before I can get it linked to your face. A lot of them know one of us is Brooke and one of us is Alyssa and figure if you say either name loudly or fast, we will both look. The “HEY YOU!” also tends to work. There are a handful of kids who were so obnoxious about not knowing our names, that I eventually suspect, they know who is who, but just have fun calling us the wrong one. To these kids, we start yelling a different name back at them as well. Ha. Two can play at that game.
When I came to know Christ I was 14, I had an early misunderstanding that the church was a building. It consisted of four walls, a ceiling and some doors. I believed that when you walked out those doors, you left the church. It made logical sense to me. In a time of feeling alone, I went to a pastor who often took the time to encourage me, in response to my loneliness he asked me “How many people does it take to make a church?” This question confused me because as I mentioned, in my head, the church was a building. I thought about the question, and the answer reflected my understanding at the time. I believe probably a lot, you need an architect, people who know how to lay bricks, someone will need to drive the big construction trucks, someone to finance it all…. It adds up, that’s going to be a lot of people. Seeing my confusion, he led me to a passage in Matthew “For wherever two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” Two. He smiled. I had friends who knew Christ, he tried to explain to me that I could have church outside the physical building, that I and every believer is part of the church.
I left that conversation confused. It wasn’t until I left that church a few years later that I started to grasp this concept. Circumstances arose, I lost my home church. Initially, I was sure this meant I lost God. However, I was surprised to find when I stopped to look, God came with me. God could leave the physical building and I found as I gathered with other believers, in places outside the church building, he was right, I could feel God’s presence. It was church, no matter the location we gathered.
“It’s the church.”
This kid does not recognize the church as a building. He recognizes the church as us. As two girls, standing on his porch in sopping wet tennis shoes, because even though there is 6 inches of snow on the ground, we chose to leave our snow boots at home. My eyes tear up, because at the young age he is, this boy is speaking a truth that took me much too long to grasp myself. At the same time, it also terrifies me, because as he states this truth, he is looking right at me. It echoes in my head, and I think maybe there is a group of people behind me I missed, maybe he is talking about them. But his eyes look up at mine, “It’s the church.” I am the church. I am this kid’s representation of church and I may be the only representation he knows. And if I am, am I doing it well?
As disciples we are given an enormous responsibility, an honor, but an honor that comes in the form of a very heavy responsibility. I often pause, take a good look at myself, and the answer is probably no, most of the time I am not doing it well. However, in the end, God’s love is so merciful and even though I am such an imperfect human, He still wakes me up every morning and whispers in my ear to go be his light.
These kids may not know my name, but they know what I stand for. They may not know my name, but they know if they come to my door I will feed them. They may not know my name, but they know I will wave to them. They may not know my name, but they know who I stand for.
People may never know your name, they might not ever remember and the great thing is, that is okay. Because what do they remember? They remember the actions you make. They remember the words you say. They are going to remember what you stand for, so make sure whatever you are standing for, you stand tall. When you stand for Him, stand tall, you are the church.
And in the wise words of Bruce Springsteen “Walk tall, or baby don’t walk at all”
