Church.

Last Sunday, during a sermon at a church in Des Moines, I had several really good thoughts that I will attempt to share. I honestly don't remember much about the sermon but I wrote down several statements that were in my head. One statement (paraphrased) that came from the Pastor was "The church is not the end - 'this is as good as it gets, there is nothing more to hope for.' "

I don't even remember why he brought this up, but the statement, and idea, stuck out to me. As a new Christian, it was so easy for me to get wrapped up in the weekly church service. It was a joy to experience true fellowship, sincere sermons and meaningful music. As I've continued to go to church each week and grow immensely in my faith, I see that even Hillside, which I idolized for several years, has flaws. Any church will. And maybe in every church there are people that need to be reminded that church is not the end.

I don't think we should expect the church to provide a person a weekly, consistent spiritual high. This expectation puts too much pressure on the pastor, worship team, even on the congregation. Time for the cliche 'If the church was perfect you couldn't be a part of it.' It's our responsibility to bring ourselves into the presence of God in times outside of the church service.

Every Sunday in church, the scales threaten to tip towards complacency. The movement is often so subtle we cannot notice. We start to feel that church is the end, the crown, the goal. We walk through the doors of familiarity, surrounded by kindness and warmth, and we rest in the comfort. We strive as a church to be familiar, comfortable and kind- which we could be to outsiders, yes, and fellow Christians, too. But we can't let that comfortableness distract us from the goal of serving and glorifying Christ in whatever capacity he wants. Sometimes that is getting involved in and serving our local church. Sometimes it is serving our community in addition to or instead of. I think the trouble is when we consider serving in our church the end-all-be-all. We must be conscious of the community in which we live, and consider how God might be calling us to reach out to them.