The Stuff of “church”: a Reflection on Psalm 98, Isaiah 51:1-8, Galatians 3:23-29, and Mark 7:1-23

Hospice is an amazing gift to the dying and their families. Dignity and care to the one in the throes of death. Caring, mercy, love, dignity, and presence are the stuff of “hospice.”

It appears that for many churches, the stuff is critical mass, adequate finances, and vision. Oh that stuff is important, but not the sole definition of stuff.

Righteousness, equity, justice, faith, tradition, worship, and Jesus are better qualifiers for the defining stuff of the church.

Others would say the above mentioned are all important, but the real stuff is the band, bible teaching, and correct doctrine.

Oh, the stuff of church is important, but we better be careful. When the stuff squeezes out Jesus…well, the church ceases to be.

Searching for truth is a common human enterprise. Tackling the hard questions of life is the context which the light is best seen in the darkness.

Let’s assess the stuff that each of us has in the top five of stuff. It matter what’s in the list. For where the heart is so is the mission.

Scripture readings are taken from the two-year daily lectionary cycle which follows the liturgical calendar and begins on the First Sunday of Advent.