ECCLESIA

• People expect to see the tower of Eiffel in Paris, Sears and John Hancock towers in Chicago, Liberty statue in New York, CN Tower in Toronto, the Golden Gate in San Francisco, canyons in Arizona, der Brandenburger Tor in Berlin, and the Big Ben in London. Postcards sold in souvenir shops tell tourists what to expect when they visit those cities. Postcards also keep memories of the visited cities alive. 
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• What do we expect from church? What do ‘postcards’ tell us about church? What does church promise us to deliver? Inspired by John Kennedy’s inaugural speech in 1961 (‘Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country’) some good believers may comment: ‘We are called to contribute for rather than to benefit from church.’ While there is truth behind the statement, the question of ‘Does church deliver what she should deliver?’ is still legitimate. 
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• What are the ideal roles of church in this world? Does church bind up the wounds of this world – or does she add pain to this already broken world? Since nobody is perfect and subsequently no church is perfect, we thus should not speak on the level of ideal. In reality, do most people still look for and attract to church?  Are most people still respectful towards church? I am afraid there are indeed more people who maintain sceptical attitudes towards church. 
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• As what postcards do, what memories do we have in regard of church? Do we store happy and positive, or negative and painful memories concerning church? Memories are important, but they belong to the past. What most postcards do not deliver is to tell about the future. What do we envision about church? Our attitudes towards church are actually established more on the process of envisioning her future ideal roles rather than simply appreciating (or condemning) memories of the past. 
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• This reflection asks so many questions. The questions are however necessary since all believers are responsible to provide the answers to those questions: both verbally, and more importantly through living testimonies. Paul called us members of (the body of) Christ (1 Cor 6.15; cf. Rom 12.5) and the body of Christ (1 Cor 12.27; cf. Eph 4.1-16). We are the body of Christ, the church, and Christ is the head (Eph 4.15). When we do not deliver what we should deliver, why we are and what we do as members of that precious body are in question.