Monday, October 5, 2009

Dearest God,

What is church? As I drove into the parking lot, I watched persons leaving their cars and walking toward the church. Because the facility sits in the middle of a field, it is easy to see people from every direction. I observed them walking together talking away. Some held hands with their partner and children. Some wandered quietly. Everyone was in a hurry. Mass was to begin in minutes.

As I knelt at the kneeling rail, I looked around in the dimly lighted sanctuary. More than half were kneeling, hands drawn together in prayer. The musicians were playing and singing. I thought to myself, "this is the home of God." Where else would I rather be than in your home with others who desire to gather with you?

I believe the church is the desiring place. It is our gift to you as we bless you with our presence, our worship and our devotion. You loved the church so much. You created the church out of a smattering of individuals who desired to be with you, to do your work, to walk and talk with you but more than that they were people whose love for you stretched beyond time and space. A desiring place is like a love letter being sent to our beloved with a message of agape that is more than our heart can truly express.

But church is even more than that. It is your love letter to us. It is a gesture of your agape for a wayward, generally self-centered bunch of folks. Church is your way of letting the world know we are loved. Church is grace and hope, faith and trust. Church is the best of who we are made of the human crumbs of loyalty, devotion, commitment, belief, love and faith. I say crumbs because we are not perfection come together. Rather just as you lifted up a handful of earth and made the first human so do you take the crumbs of our lives, our sins and temptations, our selfish attitudes and behaviors, our bits of faithfulness and love and you pour out your love and the church is the result of your work.

As I left the service, I gazed upon happy people. Children running and smiling, older couples holding hands, families in step with one another. They smiled. Yes, we had experienced the desiring place once again and we experienced joy not just for ourselves but all those for whom we would carry joy to.

Thank you,
Gracious God
for your gift
of the church.
Thank you
for your trust
in us
as we worship
and praise you.
Thank you
for love
that meets us
and for love
we take home.
Thank you
for those
you have asked
us to loved
with your love.
That's part
of the
church too.
Thank you
for the
love letter.
I loved it.

Love always, Andrea