The early church had a stormy relationship with the wicked and powerful Roman government. Cycles of severe persecution interrupted by tenuous peace recurred at the whim of the emperor. Romans officials, ignorant of the actual teachings and practices of true Christians, often acted out of bigotry, fear, superstition, or misinformation. The royal court assumed that the growing Christian church operated along the same lines as their own greedy religions. The emperor, coveting the wealth these Christians must surely possess, summoned their head bishop to the royal court and ordered him to produce “the treasures of the church.”
The frustrated bishop protested that the church had no gold, jewels, or other valuables (which was indeed true at this point in history). The emperor, brushing aside the bishop’s objection, demanded that the riches of the church be brought to him in the morning. The bishop left the royal presence quietly. The next day the bishop dutifully appeared at the palace doorway. He was empty-handed. “I told you to bring me the treasures of the church!” the emperor raged. The bishop then invited the emperor to look out at the palace steps. Gathered together, peering sheepishly at he great doors of the royal palace rising about them, was a mass of ragged beggars, cripples, slaves, and outcasts. “These,” said the bishop with a sweep of his arm, “are the treasures of the church.” For his unappreciated but accurate insight, the good bishop was promptly martyred. You are the treasure of the church. The church is not a building; it is not a doctrine; it is not a program. You are the church, the body of Christ. This September we will be celebrating our 90
th anniversary here at First Christian Church Orangefield on September 15, 2019. We are making plans and our theme for this celebration is “My Story, Our Story” and we need your help. We are looking for stories about you that fit into the bigger story of FCC Orangefield. If you can be here to celebrate with us, that would be great. If you cannot, we are asking that you would send your story to us. Either in video form or written so that we can share it with others during our celebration. So, mark your calendars for September 15th and start sending us your stories. I hope to see you there.
