A lot of gatherings of people call themselves “church”.   But are they?   What is the essence of being church?   As I go around meeting with people to discuss church health issues, I keep wondering to myself (and them), “Is this bunch people what you might consider church?”   What do you look for?   Recently I came across words penned by the 15th century Catholic Cardinal Carlo Carretto:   “Defending life, witnessing light, living out love; these remain forever and for every occasion the divine background of prophecy; they are the specific duty of anyone who calls upon God, following Christ’s unmistakable example.”   Life, light, love!

A group of people who do not love each other, where they might accuse each other, where there is hatred and a lack of friendship cannot call itself a church.   Jesus reminded us that love is the mark of being a Christ follower!   Jesus taught:  “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. (John 15:12-14)  “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:35)   Love and friendship!

A group of people who keeps silent about the truth, who hides the light, who is reluctant to bear testimony to the Biblical witness cannot call itself a church.   Jesus did not only command us to “love one another” but also to “go and make disciples of all nations … teaching them to obey everything that [he] has commanded.”  (Matthew 28:19-20)   Jesus calls us to go beyond the walls of our church buildings and call people to repentance!   Like the 8th century BC prophet Jonah and the 1st century AD prophet John the Baptist we are to summon our secular cities and neighbours to turn from sin and embrace the new life offered by Christ!   Sadly, many Christians and churches respond to this missional task like Jonah did; we run away from this task!   Where is the prophetic voice of the church and her people in secularized Australia today?    Our politicians seem to have lost the plot in life!   Christian values are dismissed!   And in this dark place, where is the light?

A group of people who diminish the quality of life, who neglect the poor, who give cursory notice to the marginalized in our society, who do not stand up for human rights from conception to the grave cannot call itself a church.   Quoting the prophetic voice of Isaiah, Jesus summed up his earthly ministry in this way:   "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour." (Luke 4:18-19)   People who came in contact with Jesus saw that “in him was life, and that life was the light of men.” (John 1:4)  Recently I spent some time with one of our church plants.   A wonderful meal had been prepared and scores of people were fed – not only with food for the stomach, but also food for the soul!   This was no church potluck or fellowship meal.   Instead people came from the highways and byways of life – the poor and the marginalized, children and the elderly – and they experienced warm Christian hospitality and genuine love.   Many went home with arms filled with a week’s supply of basic groceries.  Their quality of life was not diminished but enriched!   They did not only hear but experienced good news!

Life, light, love!   Carretto goes on to say:  “But it is not easy to prophesy; it is terribly costly. …there is need to swim against the stream, need to pray at length, need to be without fear.”   Perhaps this is why so many of us find it so difficult to be church.  Its costs are huge.   It is hard to swim against the stream.   We are numbed by fear.   But our day demands that we defend life, witness to the light, and live out love.   Jesus warns us about how critical life, light, and love are.   He says, “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels." (Mark 8:38)   May we truly be the church – be prophetic and point to the One who is Life (John 14:6), Light (John 9:5), and Love (1 John 4:8) in both our WORDS and our DEEDS.