Scripture: Ephesians 1:22-23.
God put everything under Christ’s feet and made him head of everything in the church, which is his body. His body, the church, is the fullness of Christ, who fills everything in every way.
Thought for the Day: There are portions of scripture that make my spirit sing. There are other pieces that create curiosity and questions. And then there are those passages, that if I pause long enough, make me quite nervous. Paul tells us that the church is the fullness of Christ. As I ponder the amazing and breath-taking life of Jesus, I am forced to ask if the church is revealing the same amazing and breath-taking life. Paul did not believe the church would be without sin, but have we allowed ourselves to be lulled into a mission of mediocrity that has more to do with self-preservation than it does the life of Jesus. I believe Cypress Creek Christian Church is asking the right questions and struggling in the tension between church as the body of Christ and church as an institution. I think about those who give so much of themselves at Boys and Girls Country, the Prison Ministry or NAM. I think about the gracious hospitality Cypress Creek demonstrates as it opens its buildings to the community through our Community Center. I think about our passion for the Love First Life that does not place some people outside the circle of acceptance. I think of these expressions of the faith, and I find them to be amazing and breath-taking examples of the life of Jesus. We celebrate all these ministries, but also recognize how the slope is very slippery from the place of following Jesus to a place of protecting the brick and mortar of a building that we call a church.
Prayer: Provide me and those around me with a discerning spirit, God. I want to know when my passion for church might undermine my passion for you, and the gift of your love. The church is your body, and it does not need protection. In fact, the previous time you had a body, you lived a life of sacrifice to the point of death. Amen.
TONIGHT
