Sometimes it is as if it would be hard for us to understand what church really is. We make it sound as if the church-building is “the church” that we “come to” and “go from”. This easily leads to a double-life: One life, neat and clean, when I enter the church-building and another, a more private life, when I get back home. We develop a life-style where we ”serve God” in the worship-team on the platform and one other life at home. There we might have a very limited understanding of what it means to serve God. But the fact is: We, the people of God, are the church. We do not stop being church just because we leave the church-building. Quite the opposite: we serve God, in and through our lives, through everything that we are and do, every day.
Jesus places us in the middle of society, where we belong. He reminds us that we are ambassadors, sent to this world, called to live in it but not by it: ”As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world” (John 17:18). He clearly shows that we really are called to serve out there where we are placed, to ”seek the peace and prosperity” of the city where we live and work (Jer. 29:7). All gifts and talents, all the capacity and strength that God has given us is meant to bless our cities. And when we serve in that way, we honor God: ”…whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:17).
Imagine the fruit and the consequences this all would mean, if we really and in depth understood that we are sent to our work-places and neighbourhoods as representatives of the kingdom of God. Imagine what feeling of meaningfulness it would give us, imagine all the possibilities we would get to share Jesus with people we meet.
Let us do our best to see a better world become reality. And let us give our hearts and dedication to God so that focus on Him saturates all our work. The fruit might be a visit of the kingdom of God, in our cities and countries, through us.
Camilla Klockars