Recently we were in a small group setting at our parish and I asked the questions, "Who are we?" and "Why do we exist (as a congregation)?"
Some wonderful answers emerged:
* We are a people of God
* We are a people in need of grace
* We are people that support one another
* We are here to serve our neighbors
* We are here to worship the Creator
* We are here to partake of the sacraments and be formed into disciples
* We are here to make a difference in the world and to use our gifts to show others the love of Christ
* We are here to welcome all people
And then came the comment that I was not expecting at all. . . "We are a place where you can be yourself."
Now maybe to you that sounds rather dull or innocuous, but to me that sounds like angels singing in my ears! We are a place where each and every person is on a journey to becoming exactly who Christ has made them to be- themselves! No one has to conform to some hidden agenda or expectation. Nobody has to work themselves into a frenzy to be accepted- each person is accepted for who they are and that's that. Everyone has a voice, a say in the life of the community and no one individual voice is more important that another voice. All are equal, all are valued, all are cherished. For us this has been a long journey!
Sometimes in churches there are those whose opinion matters more than another's. . . Sometimes in churches there are people who hold all the power and influence. . . Sometimes in churches there are those who think they don't matter. . . but God has a different idea about this, St. Paul says, "God shows no partiality."
We don't get it right all the time, to be sure. We are definitely sinners in need of grace and mercy and we mess up from time to time. We get grumpy here and there, anxious about things here and there, but all in all we do pretty well. But those words she said that day made me stop in my proverbial tracks, "We are a place where you can be yourself." I hadn't thought about it like that and yet that was always my greatest hope for the congregation as their pastor, a hope I had never articulated out loud; to hear this long time member/disciple of Christ who has seen the ups and the downs of communal life, who has experienced and witnessed the turmoil as well as the joy, to hear her say "We are a place where you can be yourself" well to put it plain and simple--- that is amazing!! Wonderful!!
Doesn't God want each of us to be comfortable with ourselves and for us to love one another just for who we are and not for who someone else wants us to be? For that to happen there has to be trust, respect, forgiveness and love amongst the saints. (And frankly that is often not an easy task!) For that to happen we have to give it all to Christ, trusting in him to form and shape us into his disciples, not perfect people, but people who kneel at the foot of the cross with humility and hope.
Lord continue your good work among us, forming and shaping us into exactly who you have designed us to be. Amen.
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