The Church is Crazier than you ever Imagined

So many questions surround the Church these days: "If I don't have to go to church to be a Christian then why should I go?" "Isn’t church optional?" "Is it really relevant to my life?" "Isn’t it outdated?" "Can I trust it?" "Does it care?" "Isn’t my peer group more important to my life than the church?" "What is my place in the church?" "Why should I be a part of the Church at all?" "My life is fine without it."It is very easy to get down on the church. After all, it is the only community you ever join that requires you to vow that you are not very good and need to be rescued! Every other community you join asks you to present a resume of your own merits and achievements. So, to say the church is unlike any other group in the world is an understatement. If you are struggling with the church, down on the church, or just indifferent about it, then join me on Sunday as we take a fresh look at the Scriptures.The Bible makes outrageous statements about the church. It says that it is the church that brought Jesus out of heaven. Jesus passionately and intimately loves the church like a husband loves his bride. It also says that Jesus heroically gave his life to win his bride and make her eternally beautiful. It claims that the church is a community where EVERYONE is needed. Indeed, the Bible goes on to make the most outlandish claim of all - the church is the embodied presence of God in the world! In other words, the community of believers connected to Jesus and to each other demonstrates to us and to the world what God is really like!Join me on Sunday as we together seek to answer questions about the church, explore the wonder of God’s love for his church, and find out not only why the church is important to your life, but also why you are important to it.Blessings,James M. Holland