The Sick

The Church is where the sick gather to be healed from the sickness of sin.

Our pastor made that statement recently. I know she meant it in the context that we are all sinners seeking God's perfection and glory. We'll never be perfect but as Christians we try to walk in the path Jesus laid out for us. So we gather together to worship and to learn.

This statement really hit me in a different way because my uncle just found he has cancer again. This is his third trip down that dark road. He is preparing to leave even though hope still surrounds him. His concerns are for his wife and, then, his children.

Hope. Such a small word for such a big thing. Jesus gave us hope. He taught us that miracles are everywhere and hope is always present even in the most dire circumstances. And he taught us that for Christians the worst only means that we're leaving this life earlier than we'd planned. Our home -- our real home -- is with Him in Heaven. The goodbyes from this life are temporary.

So Church becomes a place where the sick go to find comfort. It is a place where hope and strength live. Where peace abounds. And where loving arms surround us here and in the life to come.