This is the church. This is the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people. If you folded your hands the wrong way, then the question becomes, where’s all the people? Can you still do it—fold your hands into a church with a pointed steeple? It was hard to do the first time when we were little children in Sunday School. It gets harder as joints stiffen and muscles tighten. But it has always been a fun little illustration. When your hands-made-little-church is full of people, we cannot help but smile. But we also know that it is just easier to fold our hands together with our fingers, the people, on the outside. The lessons from our hands-made-churches remind us that churches are (1) made of people, (2) who serve and worship together, and (3) spill all out into the world with the joy of Christ. Some people want to focus on the number of people in a church. Some people focus on the style of ministries and kind of worship services. Others may want to see if the church people are as real in their faith during the week as they may appear to be during Sunday church.
Can we make a church with our hands? We can if they are servant hands of earnest prayer and faith. We can make a church if our hands are cleansed by the confession of our sinfulness and open to receive God’s merciful grace. We can make a church with our hands as we labor together with Christ, sharing His blessings and telling of His salvation for all people. We can make a church with our hands if we recognize our weaknesses are where God’s strengths begin. Hands in worship. Hands in prayer. Hands in friendship. Hands that care. Willing hands to do our part to honor Christ with all our heart. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but God who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building. (1 Corinthians 3:7-9)
Keep healthy. Pray mightily. Enjoy your life today. You are the church. And let’s experience the love and power of God together.
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