The Miracle of Church and Why We Still Belong

Morgan recently asked a question that’s probably echoed in the hearts of more believers than we realize:

“What is church, and where do I belong?”

I think many of us have wrestled with that same question sometimes quietly, sometimes with guilt attached, especially when “church” doesn’t look or feel like what we’ve been told it should. For many, the modern rhythm of Sunday gatherings: busy lobbies, noise, and social energy, is life-giving. For others, it’s depleting. In Morgan’s case, that environment can be especially overwhelming. And yet, I see something sacred in her walk that reminds me of the church in the book of Acts. People who simply loved Jesus and gathered around Him wherever they were, with whomever they could. There was no attendance roster, no stage schedule, no concert culture; just life together, centred on the risen Christ.

What Hebrews Actually Meant by “Don’t Neglect Meeting Together”

There’s a verse often quoted to make people feel guilty for not showing up every Sunday:

“Do not neglect meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing...” (Hebrews 10:25)

But if you look closer, the writer of Hebrews wasn’t talking about skipping a service. He was writing to believers who were being persecuted. Many had lost homes, jobs, even family for their faith. Some had stopped gathering because they were afraid and discouraged. The word “neglect” here means to abandon or forsake their faith in Jesus. The author’s heart wasn’t to scold them for missing a week, it was to say,

“Don’t give up on each other. Keep holding fast. Stay connected. You need one another.”

That’s what we see in Acts too: believers meeting in homes, eating together, praying together, serving the poor, figuring out what Jesus meant and how that applies to living their daily lives. They didn’t go to church; they were church.

Church Is Not a Building — It’s a Body

That’s why, when I look at Morgan, I don’t see someone outside the church. I see someone deeply within it. She loves Jesus. She creates music that draws people to Him. She wrestles honestly with faith. And she walks that journey with us.

If “church” is the Body of Christ, people joined together in love, lifting one another up, sharing truth and life; then our rehearsals, our road trips, our dinners after shows, our prayers before soundcheck, all of that is church.

When we bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), when we write songs that awaken faith, when we share a meal with someone searching for hope, that’s as sacred as any Sunday morning service.

Allowing Space for the Sacred

If we are allowed to, I'd like to explore the idea of no longer seeing the church building as the sacred space, but instead seeing the sacred in people, in creation, and in the very breath of an ordinary day. I believe this more aligns with where scripture steers the people of God.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it (Psalm 24:1).

When we begin to live from that truth, our posture changes. Worship is no longer confined to a time or a place it becomes the way we live, move, and have our being. To allow space for the sacred means to slow down, to notice, and to honour God. It means we stop rushing through God’s handiwork and start recognizing His presence in every person, in every conversation, in every sunrise, in every act of kindness.

If we see everything as belonging to God, then every moment becomes an altar. And from that place, we can live each day with the right heart; humble, grateful, and full of purpose.

Our Whole Life Can Be Church

The early church didn’t meet out of guilt, they met out of joy, wonder, and gratitude of messiah Jesus. They gathered to remind each other of what Jesus had done, and to go back out and live it in the world. That’s still the invitation today.

So yes! Morgan belongs and so do You!!! We all do, when our hearts and hands are turned toward Jesus and toward one another. Let’s stop measuring church by attendance and start recognizing it by love, presence, and purpose. Because when we live this faith together writing songs, feeding the hungry, holding each other up when we’re weak that’s the miracle of the church. And it’s still happening. Every day.

Church isn't something we fit into; it's something that fits us into God's story.

See you at church on Sunday! Haha.

By Joel Ivey