Reference

1 Corinthians 12:27; 1 John 3:1; John 4:23-24; John 6:35-37; Matthew 22:1-10

Video Greeting from Leah Reesor-Keller, MCEC Executive Minister

https://youtu.be/EeTJH4PNHBY

Sermon Overview

This week we move to another question about the church,
‘Who is the church, or who makes up the church?’

Who is the ‘we’ we are talking about, or the ‘you’ Paul is referencing?
Where does the church start and stop, Local, regional, national, global?
There are a lot of groups of people calling themselves the church, but which denomination has it right?
Is the church still church after the singing ends and the messiness of live returns? How do we become a part of the Church?

Scripture offers us some helpful markers when attempting to answer this question, and also encourages us to be open to surprise at the wide and gracious embrace of a loving Father. 

Key Scriptures:

"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24

Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come...Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests." Matthew 22:1-3,8-10

Reflection/Discussion Questions

  1. We talked about how the question of 'who' in the church has been divisive in the history of the church.  Have you seen or experienced any of the effects of divisiveness in the church around who is 'in' and who is 'out' personally? If so, what have you learned from that experience?
  2. In reading the scripture passages quoted above, how do hear Jesus answering the question of who the church is?  What is most important for you in answering this question?
  3. We looked at belonging to The Community of Christ like being a family member that has the last name of Christ.  How could you contribute to the building up of your families name?
  4. Steve encouraged us to hold tension in our spirits with the Holy Spirit this week around this question.  How might you do that?  What wonderings or questions might you hold in prayer with your Heavenly Father?