A Thought For The Week Of September 16

"Where two or three have come together in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20) There's something very powerful about attending church on a Sunday morning, if you enter with the right frame of mind - which is to say, if you're coming not to be entertained and not to "get something out of it" but rather if you're coming to simply encounter Christ in the gathering of people who are there. It's the church (working together) that represents Christ to the world, that reflects Christ to those we encounter and that engages in the ongoing ministry of Christ. I think that's what Jesus meant with these words: when we gather as a church, we are Christ's body, and so Christ is among us in a very powerful way. But that was Sunday, and this is today, and I know that some people are troubled by this verse. Does that mean he's not with us when we're alone? Of course I would say - absolutely not. With God all around us and with the Holy Spirit within us we're never away from the divine presence. God is an ongoing reality in our life. We need only open ourselves to feel that. But God sent Christ into the world to do God's will and God's work, and when we work together as a church to do Christ's ministry of care and compassion for the outcast and vulnerable, that's what we're doing - and that's why Christ is always among us when his work is being done! Rejoice in God's presence with you every day, but remember as well to celebrate the presence of Jesus whenever we gather with fellow Christians to do his work. Have a great week!