What is church?

This week the members of Grace got to experience church. We too often think of church as that thing we do on Sunday mornings when we come to worship. So many of us even come to that experience not prepared to meet God but come hoping that they can feel better about themselves at the end of the time spent there. I hear so many people say, I feel so much better after attending Sunday worship. And I must admit, I am always glad to hear people say that. But that is not what worship is about nor is that church.
So Thursday we attended the Parksley Trunk or Treat and agreed to do concessions. But we had a great twist as a surprise. We gave it all away. We passed out 204 Hot Dogs, 224 Hamburgers, donated another 20 Hamburgers to the Fire Company who loaned us their grill, three boxes of chips and I am not sure we know how much water and soft drinks we gave away. But to see the look of shock on peoples faces and the thanks from so many haggard parents that we would actually do it made it worth it. You see church is about people. Church is about giving of ourselves that people might see the face of God in action. Church is surprising people with "God loves you - its free" and seeing the realization that God is real and actually does the unthinkable. So this week, the members of Grace who worked that concession from 4 to 8 PM, who struggled to stay ahead of the crowd and failed so many times, got to see church. You know it was also funny as we reflect on how patient the crowd became when the word spread that it was all free. It makes you appreciate the story of the fish and loaves on the mountainside. Who knows, it may start something new and incredible among the people of Grace.