Sunday, October 13, 2013

My dearest God,

Christian love bonds us together.  We share the same God, the same faith, and the same desire to grow and be transformed by you.  As my husband and I went to worship at the church where I served before retirement, we were met by people who share you together.

Faith is vitally important to me and the fact that I get to share it with men and women who have the same spiritual thirst is a wonderful gift.  We may not perfectly line up in our beliefs because some are more conservative and others more liberal; however, having a similar desire to meet you in vast and unique ways cause us to be drawn to one another.

I love to spend time with people in Christian community.  I like it because they want to be there.  They want to share their love for you with the church and those around them.  They want to pay homage and give thanks to the God they love.  They do not stay away from church because they find fault for this or that.  Rather they know the church is human but they are able to acknowledge God by gathering for worship.  If we love Jesus Christ, the central figure in our faith, then we come together because we want to honor him, to love what he loves, and to give back in worship through praise, adoration, and thanksgiving.  "They" become "we" when we join together in one place, the church, and share fellowship, love, and grace in various ways.  When we lift our voices in prayer, we become one voice as we pray, "Our father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name..."

I lead retreats because I want to push myself beyond the mundane, the simple, and the obvious.  I want to challenge others to look deeper, to be vulnerable, to explore the depths of the psyche and the human spirit and to discover you afresh in waves of faith-filled love.  Many of those who come also gather at church to learn, to deepen, to share, and to give.

As I ponder the Christian community, my love for you grows!

Holy God,
thank you
for your church,
your people,
and your son.
Thank you
for the privilege
of gathering together.
Thank you
for worship
that stretches us
beyond ourselves
and gives us opportunity
to be more
than we are.
Thank you
for faith
that keeps us
from being lazy,
indifferent, and dull.

Love, Andrea