Making Room for the Church

Scripture Reading: Acts 2:38-47, Acts 4:32, 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, Colossians 3:14-17, Hebrews 10:24-25, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-28

When I say the word church, what comes to mind? With the rising number of disenchanted Christians telling their stories of hurt, it’s worth asking why a person would want to attend church with the reputation it has. But maybe when I say “church,” you immediately picture a handful of close friends because it’s been a safe, welcoming place of belonging and care. Or maybe, like me, you’ve had both experiences. You love the Church yet sometimes wish you could distance yourself from the pain or inconvenience that comes with living alongside other people.    

My husband and I attend a neighborhood church where he serves as the youth leader. We’re both “people people” (we finally made a shared calendar to keep track of our varying commitments!), and what I’ve realized since being with him is that, as a single adult, I curated my community so that I was primarily spending time with those who were like-minded. Since being together, I’ve found myself around a lot more people I have little in common with. Hospitality comes easy when you’re sitting across the table from someone who shares your love for quality time and deep conversation. But now, ministry and friendship have become less convenient. “Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity,” wrote Paul in his letter to a local church (Colossians 3:14). I’ve sensed God inviting me to not just make room, but to pursue unity with different kinds of people without needing anything in return, whether those are junior high students, staff members, sports moms, or new friends. 

God calls us to care for the people in our spiritual community. There is a calling to tetheredness, a “with-ness” in the lives of His people together. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer,” describes Acts 2:42. Nothing in this verse implies that this was easy, convenient, or even mutually desired (the day I discovered not everyone in our church wanted to be my friend was a needed awakening—ooph!) 

We do a lot of things. But do we really see people? Do we extend warmth and welcome, seeking to know and understand? There are a few things, I think, that can hinder this: an overbooked calendar, an idolatry of self-comfort, or an aversion to difficult or needy people. Even so, it‘s for our benefit and God’s glory that we lay down our lives and pursue the best for one another (1Thessalonians 5:15). This means arranging our days so we have space to show up for God’s people in worship, service, and fellowship, sharing both burdens and joys together. And on the days when we are feeling tired or lonely, maybe they’ll be there to do the same for us.

Written by Bailey Gillespie