A bit of evidence

It has often been said that the great proof for the existence of God is the church. And it has not been said in a positive way. Those who know Church history; those who know Church politics; those who know Church theological debates; those who know the reality of the local congregations; say it because they believe that no organization like the church could have continued to exist except by the grace of God. Why would people put up with so much fighting, so many controversies, so many petty arguments and insults and personality conflicts? Something besides human power and gifts have to be at work, they claim, to keep an organization, an institution, a denomination, a political power as dysfunctional as the church survives.

While I have seen my share of evidence for the truth of all that has been said, my time in retirement in the visiting and preaching to some of these small and collapsing churches has driven this point home with even greater force. What and why does a rural church with five members, most of whom are members of the same family, continue to hold services? They hold joint services with another small church for the major religious events: Easter, Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other special days, why don't they just close one door and worship with another congregation? The other congregation has a super musician and the one with five members has an elderly woman who only knows how to play about thirty hymns.

Another one I preached at began the service with four people in it. Two of them had parts in the service, each was scheduled to sing a solo. At this congregation the organist called at the last minute and announced that he would not be there. We had to sing without an help. One of the solos was by a senior woman who must have had a beautiful voice thirty years ago and she still thinks it is worthy. The other solo was by an El Salvador resident who sang in Spanish. I think there were seven people by the time we got to the passing of the peace by 11:40 a.m. But that was the remarkable thing. Somehow this little church with no pastor, about seven members on the roll has managed to provide Christian fellowship to an El Salvadorian community in the area and been a place of Christian love for these strangers. How they managed to do that I cannot imagine except that there was present some other power, spirit, grace that was at work in them that has no earth origin.

I have often quoted a short poem that I heard a radio evangelist give. "To live above with the saints in love, Ah, that will be glory. To live below with the saints I know, well, that is a different story." Another person once suggested that volunteer church work is hell on earth, and prepares you for heaven where indeed, you will spend eternity with people you did not like and did not know on earth. Certainly it is no hard proof of the existence of God, but it is a reality that it is hard to explain the survival of the local congregation and the world wide church without some kind of supernatural help.