replaced Jesus with the "church"

The church today has taken on a life as an institution separate from the body of Christ. We function much more as "churchianity" than as Christianity or as follower/learners/disciples of Jesus Christ. Leaders of the church today need to be studying the Book of Acts over and over again and all those who are in the body need to study repeatedly 1 Corinthians 12 and Ephesians 4:1-16.

The church functions today obsessed with its tasks and its survival like Martha in Jesus' visit to the home of Martha and Mary.

Luke 10:38-42 from The Message
38As they continued their travel, Jesus entered a village. A woman by the name of Martha welcomed him and made him feel quite at home (hospitable and friendly). 39She had a sister, Mary, who sat before the Master, hanging on every word he said. 40But Martha was pulled away by all she had to do in the kitchen. (details and tasks) Later, she stepped in, interrupting them. "Master, don't you care that my sister has abandoned the kitchen to me? Tell
her to lend me a hand."

41The Master said, "Martha, dear Martha, you're fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. 42One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it--it's the main course, and won't be taken from her."

The question for all leaders of the church is "What is it about your experience of Jesus Christ that the world around you needs to know." I first encountered that reality when I lived for a week in 1987 with a Lay Delegate of the Word (basically the leader of that parish) in the rain forest of Nicaragua in the midst of a war. He was illiterate. Never having read the scriptures. Only having a priest visit his parish every six months because of a shortage of priests. Yet Christ was more present and real, more of a companion with him than anyone I had ever known. He didn't wear Jesus on his sleeve and use him to control or judge other people. He was alive with him in his daily walk of 5 miles each way to his corn field and his fear that he or his family might be killed in crossfire in the war as his neighbor had had happen three months before and the village school master, the only literate man in the village, had happen the night I arrived. I have concluded that he had less material possessions and less "important" tasks to obsess over so that he was more focused in being with and listening to Jesus. Just like Mary.

A place to visit to help in this journey of listening to Jesus is Tom Hohstadt, who is in his 70's, a professional musician and conductor with an impressive resume of orchestras he has conducted. His passion now is helping the church to transition and transform by the power of God to serve in the culture we now live in instead of the one from a decade or five decades ago.