Thy Grace Is Sufficient has a great quote from Nouwen on the Church.
Our faith in God who sent his Son to become God-with-us and who, with his Son, sent his Spirit to become God-within-us cannot be real without our faith in the Church. The Church is that unlikely body of people through whom God chooses to reveal God’s love for us. Just as it seems unlikely to us that God chose to become human in a young girl living in a small, not very respected town in the Middle East nearly two thousand years ago, it seems unlikely that God chose to continue his work of salvation in a community of people constantly torn apart by arguments, prejudices, authority conflicts, and power games. Still, believing in Jesus and believing in the Church are two sides of one faith. It is unlikely but divine!
Sometimes bloggers, and certain theological circles get the reputation of not always liking, or loving the Church. But I think that most live in that tension of not only loving the Church, but trying their best to also be a critic/reformer of the church, in hopes of bringing a sense of hope, and transformation to the Church Community.
This quote from Nouwen is a good reminder of the importance of the Church…the place that we we not only experience our lowest lows, but also our highest highs.
