I Can't Find Church...

I set out this morning to a church that I had never been to before. This will be my normal practice throughout the school year as I get to know the various churches where our students will be serving in practical ministry. I love seeing the diversity of towns & cities, styles of worship, buildings, and all that goes with visiting a new church.

However this morning I had a problem. I had the address, taken right off of their up-to-date (or so I thought) website. I have an up-to-date GPS (called a SAT/NAV here in the UK). And I actually found the building. However, I could not find the church. 

Now, to be fair, I must not have searched the website thoroughly enough because the address I went to must have been the mailing address (although it was the main address on the site). There were all of the indications that the church had been there, and I logically deduce that they must have recently moved to a new location. However, there was no sign of this on the doors. No notification that said "find us here." There were signs that indicated they were previously in this location: a big sign above the door with the church name and posters on the windows announcing services (at the place where I am standing, by the way), but the doors were closed tightly and the lights were off.

At first I thought perhaps they were having a special event off sight, and that was the reason no one was there. Or maybe I missed the time (although I had checked that before leaving, just to be sure). So I get on my phone to try to find the website again and see what I missed. Ahh...there it is...my mistake. They have moved, and there's the address. I'll be late, but I'll give it a go. I punch the numbers back in the Sat/Nav and search for the church once again.

Now here's my not so new problem:  I can't find the church!  I wander aimlessly around the neighborhood thinking "there should be an entrance here somewhere. What am I missing? There are no signs."  And after wandering around for a good 20 minutes, and by this time being quite late for service, I give up. Now you may wonder, why didn't you call someone?  Because everyone that I had numbers to call were all at their own church!  Or why didn't you ask someone on the street?  Because I truly saw no one in this area to ask (except for one little lady on a scooter that was none too pleased with me driving down her little alley/street).  


I can't find church. 

As I drove away, with plans to attend another service this evening, I passed by a very clearly marked arrow sign.  However, I was disappointed to see that it wasn't pointing to the church: it was pointing to the local muslim mosque. I then began to see signs everywhere advertising this restaurant, that market, those car dealerships. I was inundated with signs. But my problem remained:  I could not find the church.

The Holy Spirit then began to work on my heart and I began to intercede for this town. What if there were other people, just like me, that wanted what could be found within the walls of the church, but they couldn't find it?  Where were the signs? Did the church just assume that everyone knew they had moved? Or did the people think that perhaps this church, like so many others, had closed its doors because "no one goes to church anymore."

Then I began to think about this:  What if the church (that's you & I by the way, not a building) had all kinds of amazing things to say to a world that does not know God, but they had no way of knowing who we were because there were no signs? 

Do our lives point to God?  Can people see Jesus in us or are our "signs" pointing them to everything else? Are our lives and choices (that's entertainment, material things, jobs, relationships, speech) pointing people to God or are they indicating that the message of the Gospel is no longer here?

I don't blame this particular church for my ignorance in not being able to find where they were meeting. (Although I might have some suggestions for their website and old & new locations.) But I may not look at another church building the same again. And as I do, I will always look at my own life and ask what kind of signals I am giving a lost world that God is drawing to Himself. 

I pray that my life is an open church building, where God is present. I also pray that the lost not only find church through me, but the life that is inside in Jesus Christ.

Hopefully, one day, I'll find the church. Until then, I pray that I can be the church and point people to Jesus.