Sunday, October 10, 2010

Dearest God,

At 9:00 a.m. this morning my mind wandered back to Church on the Cape. It would be choir rehearsal for the service. At 9:45 a.m. we would be singing our favorite songs until 10:00 a.m. Memories of your lovely presence warmed my heart as I recalled the joy of the church together.

I sat in the pew of Calvary United Methodist Church when the pastor invited us to greet one another. My eye caught on precious members, older and wiser than when I served here more than a decade ago. We took hold of one another hugging and smiling, a gentle beauty passing between us, the love of your son.

Wherever I am, in a small town in Indiana, a teeny town in Maine, an African village, a European cathedral, a monastery in France or New Mexico, I have found you waiting. Like a young child spotting their parent after just a few hours, it is always a homecoming, a reunion, the coming together of the divine and the human.

When in your presence, the spectacular happens; the gates of heaven open, eternity is revealed. That's what happens for me in church, O God, simply because you exist to raise your people to the heights of glory. Through faith you insist we capture a glimpse of the divine and somehow we are transported to all that is you. Everything in the service points us to you, no matter what it is, the announcements, the greeting, the music or the liturgy. Each portion of the worship seeks to move us a step closer to you. What a gift and blessing, every time we gather.

Let us worship
and adore you,
Gracious God;
let us sing
your praise.
The human soul
waits for you
and is
never found wanting.
Inspire us
to live
our faith,
to be
the hands
of your son.
Teach us
to mend
broken hearts,
to seal
the cracks
with love
from on high.
Move us
to service,
dearest God,
move us
to love
and give,
I pray.

Love, Andrea