I believe God uses everyday life, objects, and circumstances to reveal biblical truth. This happened last Sunday when my husband and I went roller skating.
Our roller-skating outing was a final hurrah before I started teaching again. As we hadn’t been to United Skates in three years, skating was slow going. It took some time to refamiliarize ourselves with movement patterns, balance, and timing. Yet it was this snail-like speed that allowed me to observe other skaters.
There were skaters of all kinds. The very young, using skate bumpers to aid their fledgling skating skills. The very old, going slower than me and my husband. Teenagers who were calmly and cooling making their way on the skate floor. The skate rink was home to people of all ages, ethnicities, and genders. People of all ability levels. People skating to their own rhythm. People crashing at every turn—kids face planting, teenagers taking spills, and adults being taken out by children who hadn’t yet learned how to stop. Yet, all were there for the purpose of having fun and doing something they loved and enjoyed.
Amid this observation, I couldn’t help but think, this is the church. Or rather, the church as Jesus intended it.
Like the skate rink, the church is home to the young, the old, the middle-aged. It’s comprised of people of different genders and ethnicities. People of different socioeconomic backgrounds, education levels, and professions. People who are at different points on their spiritual journey. People who are making strides to improve their lives, and who sometimes crash and burn in the process. The church, the ekklesia, ἐκκλησία, is a gathering of “called out ones.” It’s a meeting brought together by one main purpose—Jesus.
When we look at the gospels and epistles in the New Testament, we discover that Jesus drew people of all kinds. Yet, there is often a disparity between what we see in our churches and what we see in the New Testament. If our churches aren’t mirroring Jesus’ vision, then perhaps we should take our cue from United Skates.