The Church

"I will perpetuate your memory through all generations; therefore the nations will praise you forever and ever." Psalm 45:17

A little history on this Psalm is necessary in order to best understand all the symbolism and teaching that can be derived from it. Psalms 42 through 49 are written by the sons of Korah who were appointed temple choir leaders by David. They may have written this Psalm 45 for Solomon to help celebrate his wedding. The language has always been representative of Christ and His Church. Beautiful picture, wonderful words and this last verse shares God's commitment to sustain the Lord's memory, and that of His Bride the church, among the nations through the test of time. God will not let the church, that is the bride of Christ be forgotten. He will hold up the church in times of persecution and never let His bride be forsaken. These are encouraging words.

As you may have heard..... we are entering a post-church era. Church is not what it used to be. The glory days of the prominence of the church as an institution and influence on society and in the community is waning. I remember a time when businesses were closed on Sundays and when pastors and church leaders were revered and to be trusted and when the church was seen as a bastion of truth and a keeper of justice, a lighthouse of hope and a safe harbor. With the proliferation of marginally 'Christian' churches and the advance of secularism and consumerism as the main philosophies of our culture, the place of the Church in our time has been relegated to tolerance at best. This may sound more dire than you experience it, but in truth we live in fast-changing times that are not 'Christian or church friendly'.

Thank God it is He that sustains His bride and keeps her. Trends and patterns, studies and statistics cannot nullify that fact that God will not allow the Church to die. He protects her with His tender heart and loves her in spite of how rebellious and wayward she has become, in spite of how despised and rejected she is by a world that has lost touch, respect and admiration for what the church once more so represented. Is it the fault of the Church? To a degree. Is it just a sign of the times? Yes. So what should we do? We must remember that the church is the Bride and that she must remain devoted to Christ no matter what. Even if she is despised or misunderstood, misrepresented or ineffective. Christ loves the Church. He will perpetuate her memory and will keep her going until He comes for her.

How should we respond to this sad scene that is easy to see if we step back and think about the implications and how things are unfolding? We should take care of Christ's bride. Not just her physical appearance, but her heart. She (the church) like a bride needs love and attention, appreciation and respect. If we will protect her a little and hold her accountable a lot and work with her to make the necessary adjustments, we can help to make her more effective. The church is really just a sum-total reflection of her constituents..... us. Please understand that the 'collective church' and Grace Harbor as just a little part of the 'whole Church' and need to be seen separately to a degree. Yet the principles are the same. We are the church. We are His bride. We must take better care of ourselves and make sure we are not too much of a project for Him. He loves us and He will sustain us. Let us rally together and maybe by God's grace we can be used by Him even more to share His love and truth in these times.

His,
Pastor Fred

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