Optimistic about the Church

There is much talk these days about the chruch in general and how bad it is, how sick it is, and how out of touch it is. Popular books painfully tell us people like Jesus but not the church. We hear that the church is filled with hipcroites, is pimped out to political candidates, is boring and irelevant, is full of judgmental people, is unwelcoming, has its head buried in the sand and on and on and on. Much of this is true and deserved criticism.

Yet, the church is the church. It continues on. Jesus founded the church and said the gates of hell would not prevail against her (even when the gates of hell were from inside her own walls!). The church is like the nightly news. When it comes to the church people remember the bad stuff but not all the good stuff. As long as Jesus remains the head of the church the church remains God's primary instrument to bring healing, comfort and salvation to individuals and communities. The church is the blood bought redeemed of God.

Yes, we have our warts, our pimples and stretch marks- but we remain Christ's body in the world. Let's be the church that has Christ has as its head!