I saw a video a couple of days ago where a guy named Clark Little shares his story of being a shorebreak wave photographer. As I observed him in his element and saw the breathtaking images of his work, I thought of God’s common grace to give us His creation to celebrate and enjoy.

I also, however, thought of how the local church can feel like shorebreak waves at times. Ha ha. It is no small investment to involve oneself in a local church and the ministry being done through her. We are the body of Christ, and it is our opportunity to dive into the beauty of the local church, the institution God put here for us to enjoy and celebrate and be involved with day in and day out. We will be far less upset by the poundings as the waves come in if we get involved, take the hits of involvement, and notice the beauty in the midst of all the activity.

This is a stretch of an illustration, but it’s a great picture for me personally. I deeply enjoy jumping right into the midst of what often gets misconstrued as chaotic and messy only. The local church is God’s gift to this world. Is the community of believers celebrating Jesus Christ and congregating to pray together, sing His praise, challenge and encourage each other in God’s Word and Spirit, and then be challenged by each other to head out and be Christ’s hands and feet in this hurting world.

Let’s jump in and celebrate the beauty of God’s Word and Spirit and people, despite the seeming chaos. Let’s serve and give instead of take from our local churches. Let’s capture the moments in our hearts that we most enjoy, and then take those with us for courage to face the excitement and movement of the local church once more and then again.

Father, thank you for the local church. Please build up her leaders and members, and please raise up more leaders here in our region. Please give us the heart of participation far ahead of our critical spirits. May our criticism be far out-weighed by our involvement and partnership to see Your Gospel and Your Person magnified in our region as it is in Heaven. In Christ’s name and character. Amen.