I think so deeply when I'm mowing the lawn. Is anyone else with me? Sure, I get shorter grass, but that's almost just icing on the cake. Probably being a little overdramatic here, but I really can get lost in it all. The hum of the 4-cycle Briggs and Stratton drowns out all other distractions and becomes a sweet monotonous melody. The dullness of row after row of growing grass just begging to be trimmed empties my thoughts. And the smell! Wow! The odor of the freshly cut turf sets a tone for serenity and I just start thinking about things...all sorts of things. Want to know what I thought about today!
Today I was adrift in consideration of my church. I love her. For all of the challenges she faces...all of the possibilities of next steps...all of the beauty and intricacies of personal relationships among her people have created a joy within me that otherwise would not exist. There is an intention, a vision and a mission that is becoming clearer and clearer as we move forward. We can do so much more together than we ever could apart.
I know many who say "You do not have to go to church to be a committed Christian" or "I have gotten closer to God at the beach (the lake, the golf course etc) than I ever have at church." It just seems to me that this misses the point. Being a part of a local church is not simply about finding God. Of course we can do that anywhere. No. Church is about the bride of Christ and her mission. It is about Christ doing something through her that is sometimes messy...sometimes marvelous. It is about the synergy of coming together and accomplishing something that otherwise simply could not be done. It is about belonging and finding a home for a hurting heart.
So many need her and as I was thinking, I was also praying. I prayed that people will find an authentic church to love and through which can be genuinely loved. A church where Christ is central and worship is relevant and Godward. A church that makes its mission clear and includes everyone: the young, the old, the single, the married, the widow and widower, the poor and wealthy, the tenor and the tone deaf. So that is what I thought about while sprucing up the sod. A vibrant church can be so much sweeter and more fresh than a newly mowed lawn. Not always without crabgrass, mind you... but well worth the effort!