Tomorrow, it’s church.
This word brings up a lot of different feelings. Hurt, maybe, or anxiety. Laughter and relief and good times. A mix of memories, the burgundy pews and the stiff crack of Bibles and the echoes up the rafters. Some of this is comforting; some just cold.
Let’s pray about tomorrow. For your pastor, who is sweating over his sermon. For the kid who’s ready to take his life. For the single mother working three jobs for four kids. For the stubborn business owner who is dragged there. For the college students burned out with no direction. For the first-time curious about God. For yourself: that you would hear from Him, and be pulled back from the edge for one more week.
It’s easy to hate our churches. The sound is too loud, the room too hot, the sermon too long, the people too cold. We can always see too much or not enough: but let’s pray for eyes to see as God does. He sees us not as we are, but as we could be. He is already there tomorrow, in every seat and every heart, ready to sweep us off our feet. Pray He works, and trust that He will. And love those people. Love them.
— J
J.S. Park: Hospital Chaplain 
That’s just it. The first paragraph is not Church; the second is. No matter how we practice our gathering with other believers, it’s the people. Prayer for each other with love and humility makes the Church. I pray for you, after the fact, and all those who must find God’s words to share.
Peace
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Yes. We are an imperfect people, and that’s never more true than in church. But that’s why we need Him.
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