Light on the Hill

        There is a lot of confusion as to what the church is actually. Every one will have a different definition. The church is not actually a place; it is a gathering of people. The church is not really the house of God, for God lives everywhere. We do not have to reach beyond ourselves to find God because the contact point for God is within our own selves. I believe each of us is born with an internal connecting place with God; it is our soul. To remain unconnected to God is to have an unrealized soul. The church is a gathering of people who are all seeking  a relationship with God. The church is a learning place where we pray, study, sing, and commune with God and each other. The church is a family, the all inclusive positive image of family. We, as church members, support each other, love each other, and help each other. We motivate and inspire each other. We encourage each other towards positive growth. Without growth there is stagnation, and stagnation is dying while living. The church is where someone can go to feel safe not judged. The church is an embodiment of God's love, visible for all to see -- a light on the hill.
           The church is actually the authority on very little. It is a mistake to think the church has the answers to all questions. Church dogma comes from humans not from God. The church is a place where we can ask questions freely not fearfully. We seek the answers together; we try to find the distinct truth for each individual, different answers for different people. God has the answers, and we seek God's guidance together. There are some questions for which we do not yet know the answers. We do our best not to speak for God but to let God speak for God's own self. The church, being a gathering of people, is imperfect. We are accepted and loved by God in spite of our imperfections. Don't go to  a church gathering and expect to find perfect people. We are doing our best to live our faith every day -- to love God and each other. But there are times when we fall short. God's loving grace wraps us in love anyway, and we try to do the same for each other in our own imperfect ways. To paraphrase a Billy Sunday quote, "Being part of a church does not save you or make you  a perfect Christian any more than sleeping in a garage would make you a car." We depend on God, and God does not disappoint. This is at least what I believe the church should be and what we aim for at First Christian Church, www.fcccarrollton.org