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When I was in seminary, we loved to ponder deep theological questions. We knew we would never get definitive answers - that was half the fun! And that’s why we call it faith, not certainty. We’re always following…
One question from theology class stuck with me: ‘Did Jesus mean to start the church?’
Of course, since I think I’m witty, I had to quip back: ‘Did Jesus mean to start the church he got?’
After all these years, I am as sure as I can be (given that we never know anything definitively) that the answer to the first question is YES.
Throughout Scripture and history, from the very beginning, Jesus has called us into community. He called a handful of disciples who were very different from each other - and from Jesus. He had crowds of people following him everywhere. And after he died and rose again, groups - called by the Holy Spirit - spontaneously gathered to share the story of Jesus, to baptize in his name, and to gather for worship and meals.
Eventually, they became known as Christians.
Since then, Christianity has become the world’s largest religion.
Whether or not Jesus called us to become the church - the gathered body of Christ - that we actually became, it seems clear that Jesus did call us to become the church overall.
Which means he calls me - and you.
How do we follow?