One building is nothing special, just an ordinary, rather small wood frame building. It’s not incredibly ornate. There’s a gravel drive and gravel parking lot, that most days has maybe one or two cars in it. In fact, it’s the kind of building that people could easily pass without noticing. But, inside it is absolutely beautiful.

Another building is quite large. It has a paved entrance and large paved parking lot and well-manicured landscaping. The building itself, though, looks like many large facilities. It seems cold, sterile, plain, and, other than its size, unimpressive. It is the kind of building that looks so much like others in the area, that is blends in with its surroundings. But, inside something amazing is happening. 

Inside these two seemingly different buildings, these two local churches, beautiful and amazing things happen. At certain times and on certain days, very ordinary people gather here. They come from various places with various backgrounds and experiences. They enter those doors carrying with them a week’s worth of ups and downs, wins and losses, joys and sorrows. The gather together and participate in something beautiful.

Inside these buildings, whether the number of people who gather are ten or ten thousand, we see children are taught about the One who created them on purpose and for a purpose. They are taught about the love that this God has for them. They are taught the stories of God’s interactions with humanity. They are taught about his one and only Son, the one who loved enough to go to the cross. They are taught to sing, to pray, to love, and to serve in response to that love. They are encouraged and supported and prayed for as they continue to grow and become the people they were created to be. It is a beautiful thing.

Inside these buildings there are teens who are facing the pressures associated with coming of age. They feel the pressure that comes with finding one’s place in the world. They are being pulled in various directions and told by many what values they should have. They are struggling with who they are and how they should fit in. Yet, they come. They come to pray together, study together, laugh together, cry together, and learn together. They come and find community and belonging. They come and reaffirm their identity in Christ. It is a beautiful thing.

Adults of all ages make their way inside these buildings. They come and find an oasis in the middle of the frantic pace and constant pressures of life. They come to find a place where they can breathe and be reminded of who they are, children of God who are dearly loved. They come seeking to learn, to be encouraged, direction and a word from God. They find here a place to belong, help from the Spirit, and love. It is a beautiful thing.

All these various age groups gather in these buildings and blend their voices in praise to the God who saved them through his Son. They join hearts and minds as through the Spirit they lift their thanksgiving, their petitions, their desires to the One who hears and can act on their behalf. They gather as the body around the table presided over by the One who gave it all for them. In that simple ritual, they are reminded of the good news of the Gospel. They are reminded of all that has been done to rescue them. They confess their belief in the love of God and their hope in the resurrection to come. They listen for a word from God from the Word of God. In it they find hope, determination, and strength to face the challenges that wait just outside those doors. They find opportunities to serve and to bring relief and hope to the world around them. It is a beautiful thing.

We live at a time where the local church is under attack somewhat. There is now, and has been for a while, a general mistrust of institutions, and the local church gets put in that category. There are those who have been genuinely hurt by actions and attitudes of someone (or more than one someone) in the local church. The stories of those incidents also feed that mistrust and make people cautious about being a part of that community. 

Even for those of us that are a part of a local church, it is easy to find things that could be better. There’s the person who sings too loudly and off key. There’s the guy who prays too long, those who don’t dress up enough or dress up too much. It’s too hot or too cold in the auditorium or some inconsiderate visitors had the nerve to sit in our seats. We can always find something. 

What if, instead of letting these things dominate our thinking, we looked for the beauty that we find there? What if, instead, we focused on the exuberant, heartfelt praise to our King, the words of thanksgiving and hope we hear as we bring our prayers to God, the fact that people are finding a place to belong and are participating, and that all that are present are people who belong to Christ. It really is a beautiful thing. 

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:19-25 ESV)