“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing hear.” Hebrews 11:24-25 ESV

I was sitting on the porch one evening and noticed this mound in my backyard. I had to go down and take a closer look to discover that it was actually a mound of mushrooms with other smaller mounds growing around it. I had to do a quick Google search and discovered that this mound of mushrooms is called hen-of-the-woods. I’ve seen them before, but this particular mound was much larger and taller than I had seen before. Up close, it is clear that it is not one mushroom but multiple mushrooms growing closely together. Interestingly, they come from one root stalk but they multiply by spores on the underside of each spoon-like top. They are edible and they are useful to the ecological systems of the forest, helping to decay rotted tree stumps and return nutrients back into the soil. They remind me of what the church should be like. How so?

The word for church in the original Greek language is ekklesia. It means an assembly of the called out. Jesus was the first to use the phrase when Peter confessed who Jesus was (Matt.16:18). There Jesus says that upon Peter and his confession, the church would be built and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it. In Acts 11:26, Antioch is the place where the ekklesia is named Christians and it is this same ekklesia that would ordain and send Paul out on his first missionary journey (Acts 13:1-2). Other examples of the ekklesia in Acts show us that the church prayed and gathered in various places, helping one another to grow in their faith. The ekklesia of the New Testament was not a particular denomination, simply a gathering of believers. People have made it so much more complicated than it has to be. So how does this mound of mushrooms remind me of the church?

First, it is made of many parts but it is all on one stalk. The church is made of many members but our one stalk is Jesus Christ. Second, the cluster of mushrooms is working together to grow more mushrooms. We should also be gathering together in our various gifts and abilities to grow strong Christians. Third, this cluster of mushrooms is contributing to the health of its ecology and making more colonies in its vicinity. (If you look closely, you will see a smaller mound in the background). The church should be making an impact on our world and society and expanding its work in other parts of the world around us.

This clump of mushrooms has given me some things to consider about myself and where I fit in the ekklesia we call church. Am I connected to the stalk? I believe so. Am I working in cohesion with my fellow believers to help them grow in love and good works? I strive to make it so. Does the work I do replenish and spawn new disciples? I would like to think so. Does the ekklesia I am a part of look as tightly connected as this hen-of-the-woods growing in my back yard? I certainly hope so. In any case, I have this very real reminder of what ekklesia is all about.