What is God's intent for the world?

What is God’s intent for the world?

It is washing feet, receiving the sinners and the outcasts, bringing to the center and to the front of the line those on the margins. It’s bringing light to those in the darkness of sin and self-centeredness; standing in their way, getting bumped around a little until they can see the way. It’s giving up all of self, spending yourself for others. It’s touching the untouchable, risking self, power, influence, positions, status, in order to rebuke the powers of oppression. It is giving up privilege for the sake of others. It’s looking up two rows and seeing a young neighborhood girl sitting next to a former elder’s wife. It’s getting up early on Saturday to help a member move. It’s our neighborhood walkers giving up Sunday afternoons to bring the hope of the Gospel to our neighbors. It’s the story of all you who bring neighborhood kids to church. It’s singing that song with a smile and a joyful heart, the song you don’t like but you know someone else does. It’s all our teachers who prepare lessons. It’s those who deliver meals for Meals On Wheels. It’s cooking for our Easter dinner so we can have a blessed time getting to know our neighbors. It’s those who invite a stranger to lunch. It’s that time you forgave your brother or sister and went across the isle and gave them a hug. It’s that time you supported the elders even though you didn’t agree with their decision. It’s the elders and other ministry leaders sitting in meeting after meeting to work out our common life and ministry together. It’s that time you encouraged the preacher even though the sermon was terrible. It’s when you stayed to help clean up after the meal on Wednesday night. It’s staying late to prepare that special song for worship. It’s when you wrote that card. When you gave generously, financially and with time to the church. It’s when you held the family who had just lost a child and said nothing but “I’m sorry.” It’s when you gave that cup of cold water in Jesus name. It’s giving up privilege for the sake of others when the world is seeking its own pleasure, comfort, and security. That is God’s intent for the world.

You want to know what we call all that? We call it…“church.” Church is God’s intent for the world; and the world is watching.