Neil's blog

We travelled nearly 4 hours in the car to spend a few days with the Vargheses (An Indian family who were about 5 years with us at Irvine: Fullarton). They’ve settled well in Wodonga: Alfeen’s a busy General Practitioner in a medical centre & Ajit lecturing at a medical college & able to spend more time with Adrian & Audrey who’re right into school & their many activities. They’ve found a lively, mission minded Christian Community among whom they’re at home, fed & inspired to live for Jesus in daily life.

Christians very easily talk about ‘church’ ambiguously. For example: “On Sunday I went to church.” easily conveys the meaning: “I went to a church service or church building.” rather than to a gathering of God’s People. So it’s no wonder that many folk, both in & out with Christian community, equate ‘church’ with either a dead building or religious ritual, rather than the coming together of people who love God & follow Christ. The way we use or abuse the word ‘church’ is not only confusing but dangerous in how it lengthens the secular - sacred lie that believes a church building is holier than a place of work, mall, street, football pitch, forest, valley, mountain, etc. “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1 / 1 Corinthians 10:26). The truth is that the one true, holy God is everywhere, that the Kingdom of Heaven is near to all human beings (Matthew 3:2), & that the ‘Church’ (Family of God, Body of Christ, Bride of Christ, etc) is wherever God’s People are living, moving & having their being. I’m much more drawn to descriptions like ‘community’ to describe gatherings of God’s People, ‘Space’ as service & activity centres, & ‘The Kingdom of God’ to describe Christ’s presence & activity in the world. What other better descriptions / names could help us?

Here’s the challenge for my brothers & sisters back in Fullarton, Irvine, Scotland: to eradicate ‘church’ as a word in our vocabulary & banish the heresy that church gatherings or buildings are the only place where God works or where Christians are to be their most Christian; to focus on letting Jesus live in & through our every day lives.

It was good to see the Vargheses joining in with what Jesus is brewing in Wodonga, New South Wales, sharing in his healing ministry. Ajit is considering doing a PHD in ‘Aboriginal Community Care’. But a carpenter, office secretary, volunteer in a charity shop, parent, student, indeed every one of us are called to join Jesus in his loving, caring & sharing activity in the world, the location of our true worship. G’day!