Chapel In The Pines
For almost 32 years a tiny church in Camp Sherman has shown me and my family what a simple gathering of Jesus followers can accomplish so long as no one cares who gets the credit. Every few weeks I serve there as part of a speaking team, and I never fail to learn some new things every time I visit.
This group of believers teaches me how to weave what we know of God into the fabric of life.
Over the years I have learned about generosity as I watch this group freely give to needs that arise, near and far, without reserve, knowing the money isn't theirs to hold on to.
My heart goes to school as I witness acts of compassion for those in their congregation and in the larger Sisters area when hardships arise.
Lessons on faithful friendships are on display as I have seen people walk with one another over the decades.
Disputes are handled quickly and with concern for all involved with goals of restoration and unity.
Instruction in welcoming strangers comes my way when I observe visitors warmly greeted, sitting with their new nametags stuck on a shirt, and watch as folks sidle up to the newcomers and using their names in conversation.
Since this place is filled with imperfect people on their own journeys, I don't want to paint an idyllic picture, but I will sketch one that showcases Jesus at work in a disparate group in a small corner of the vineyard. It shows how church commitment and attendance and involvement is worth the effort, both for the individual and the group.
I spoke there a couple of times this month. The small winter crowd faithfully filed in and took their normal seats and the old chapel car from a logging camp filled with talk and laughter. The order of service rarely changes and the beautiful simplicity of people singing, announcements and ringing the church bell by a visitor or someone with a birthday or anniversary, the sharing of needs and prayer requests and praises for God-sightings from the week, and then a talk from one of the folks who rotate through that duty, all put a frame around a family gathering. The service provides some structure to this family of faith, but certainly doesn't define it. People hang around afterwards to talk and share life. One guy there says that for him, the half hour after the service is the most important minutes of his week.
Church, for many of us, remains a challenge. It is never hard to find stuff to get sideways about in any congregation. From the earliest days of the church, we read in the Bible of local congregations just being messy. Messy with one another, messy with equality, messy with what they stood for, messy with doctrine, just messy.
And in spite of all that, we are called to be hooked up to a local church group. It remains what Jesus set up for his followers where faith journeys come to huddle up. There the wounds of the week find some salve. It is there where we are accepted (or should be) while still dealing with our own failings. A church service stands as a rest area where we refresh and recharge before we merge back onto our particular highway. And it is a rest stop for anyone who senses a need to pause for a bit to recalibrate direction and to sense a community of fellow strugglers who love each other. The welcome sign is always lit.
So, consider what the writer of Hebrews says:
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
There must be an all-too-human backstory to this admonition. What comes to mind are things like:
Some folks have gone missing from their meetings
Once skipping becomes the norm, that habit is easy to continue
It is easy to become discouraged when we go it alone
Effort is needed from everyone to stay together
COVID has done significant damage to many local congregations. What might have been a great moment of unity has instead proved to be more divisive than anything I can recall. Many folks, after a time when the churches were shut down, have left behind regular church attendance. Some replaced a local fellowship with an online group or TV ministry. Others have filled their Sunday mornings with new habits and the thought of going back isn't on the radar. Once any habit halts, reestablishing presents a challenge to the best of us, whether it is church or exercising or cutting out desserts.
If you are on the sidelines, let this note serve as an invitation to return because we need you and you need us if we are to be going and growing in the right direction. If you are regularly attending, think about who you have missed lately (or over the past 2 years) and give them a call or take them out for coffee. All of us like to be seen and noticed and invited back when missed. If your friends are hooked into another fellowship, great! Wish them well and make sure they know they are always welcome at your campfire.
As goofy as churches can behave, we are meant to be in community. Chapel in the Pines taught me that. Church is a community to do life with, not a commodity to be evaluated like some investment in the portfolio. We are to hang in with one another and weather the storms that come when we do life together. So, avoiding church when your feelings get hurt (and they inevitably will), or just staying away misses the point.
When next Sunday comes, show up. You just might be surprised how good it feels to be back together.
Now, music time...
Funnies for the road are always nice...
A handyman was working for a temple in Allentown, PA, had asked for a raise and was turned down. He decided to quit and went out to look for work.
First he went to a Catholic church and was told that in order to work there he would have to answer one question.
The priest asked, "Where was Jesus born?"
The man answered, "Pittsburgh," and was shown the door.
He then went to a Baptist church. The minister told him that in order to get a job there he would have to answer a question.
He was asked, "Where was Jesus born?"
The man answered, "Philadelphia."
He was dismissed.
Walking away, he encountered the rabbi who was looking for him. The rabbi exclaimed, "The board approved your raise. Please come back immediately."
The man said to the rabbi, "I will come back only if you answer a question. Where was Jesus born?
The rabbi says, "Bethlehem."
"HA!," cries the man. "I knew it was somewhere in Pennsylvania."