Pay no attention to the curtain...

It is all over the news. Every news outlet, every venue, every market, every mode. And still the truth is elusive. Some say it started during the Clinton presidency, some say older, others say it is new. Some call it a travesty while others excuse it away as the real normal, not some shiny object of the media’s attention but reality that transcends administrations.

I’m talking the absence of a US team in the World Cup, of course. What did you think I was referencing?

That feeling you have right now is likely very similar to many church goers whenever their church fails to meet their expectations. They are confused. Some are offended. Others are so hurt they cannot imagine ever trusting the church or their fellow "Christians" ever again.

Wait. Did I just say the church fails? Yes. Yes I did.

“When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ They replied, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But what about you?’ he asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’ Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.’” (Matthew 16:13-18, NIV)

Jesus is the Rock. The “Messiah, the Son of the living God” is the foundation of the church, but the church is not the Rock. Simon Peter, son of Jonah, may translate as “rock” but he is just another rock in the façade of the church. Peter and the church are rocks in the pursuit of Christian living. But Christ is the Rock.

Earlier I mentioned how some feel they’ve been hoodwinked when the church fails them. Some of you may have felt hoodwinked when I revealed my introduction addressed the missing US soccer team. The real hoodwink comes when we start elevating the local church above where it belongs – a tool to aid us in our relationship with Christ.

See, too often we put stock in the building, the body, or the manual, and think that idol will give us satisfaction. Wait – did I just call “The Manual” an idol? Yes. Yes I did. You see, anything we elevate to a Christ-like status, anything we hold equal to God’s living Word, anything we give importance can become an idol – the local church included. Just ask your Catholic friends what status the Pope carries within the church, or ask a Muslim for a picture of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). (Yes – the God of Islam is the God of Christianity – Genesis 16 – even though Islam and Christianity are destined to war.) The point is the church can become an idol, if you let it.

And idols will fail, just ask Dagon. (1 Sam 5:3) But more importantly, Jesus saw this coming and He made it clear that He is the Rock upon which He will build His church. That means everything else is fallible, the church, the Pope, the Manual, the Deacons, the pastor, the grandma in the last pew, even your faith will fail you at one point. If you’ve not suffered at the hands of the fallible church yet, remember my exhortation when you do.

But Jesus Christ, the Rock, the Messiah, the Son of the living God, will never fail you. So be Peter stepping out of the boat, not Peter sinking into the waves. Be David shaking off the armor and marching out to meet Goliath, not David scheming for Uriah’s wife. Be Paul exhorting the Philippians, not Saul extorting the early Christians. Be who God made you to be.

On this rock I will build my church.