Why Church? It's a Beautiful Mystery

And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

Dear Evergreen family, Last week, I asked the question “Why Church?” My answer was “The numbers.” (click here to read). This week, I’ll try another angle---this question needs multiple answers because it’s a pressing question. We’ve all reorganized our lives in the last year and a half. So, why fit Church into my reorganized life? Here’s my second answer: “It’s a beautiful mystery.” For centuries and centuries, the center of the life of the Church was the act described in the scripture above. Sure, there was preaching and teaching, prayer and mission. However, the Church understood itself primarily as the Body of Christ that came together to partake of the Body of Christ. Certainly, this was, and is, a mystery. Communion is a mystery. Also, baptism is a mystery. So are funerals. Prayer is a mystery. The presence of God in a sanctuary is a mystery. By “mystery,” I don’t mean “a puzzle to be solved.” Instead, a mystery is pool with no bottom. The deeper you dive, the more you discover. In eastern Europe, Christians actually use the name “mysteries” to talk about Communion, baptism, etc. Why Church? It’s a beautiful mystery. The value of Church can’t be quantified like the value of consumer products or services. What’s the value of a sunset? What’s the value of a dream? What’s the value of Church? It’s kind of the same thing. If we’re only looking to cold hard data to tell us whether we should spend time at church, we’re missing it. That would be like giving a particular sunset the value of “3” because we noticed 3 colors: red, orange, and yellow. A sunset is more than the number of colors. Church is way more than the number of anything. It’s a beautiful mystery. God’s here in a unique way. It’s a beautiful mystery. I’ll try another angle next week. The Lord be with you, and I’ll see you at church! May God bless us all. Your Fellow Minister in Christ,

Mark