Why Are We Here?

(Note:  While my church is searching for a new pastor, laypeople have been filling in on occasion.  This is my sermon from Sunday, March 30th.  Names have been replaced by initials as I do not feel comfortable putting names out there.  Although this is about my church family, what I say could hold try for any faith.)

Why am I here?  Why are you here?  Why are we here?

This is not a metaphysical question.  I’m not naive or stupid enough to ask why and get into an awkward debate on the creation of the planet in 7 days or big bangs or anything like that.  My question is literally…why are we here…in this sanctuary, in this church, today, now?  (And don’t worry I’m not about to come out there are start polling you all.  If you have an answer and you want to shout it out, now is a fine time.  Otherwise I’m just going to keep talking…at least for the next several minutes.. .

Today is Sunday, March 30^th.  There’s nothing much special about today.  We’re in the middle of Lent, we’ve just officially entered spring.  Since it’s overcast and a bit rainy, most of us might rather be at home in bed.  Or at least just at home.   So why are we here?  What has drawn us to this particular place on this particular day?  And what keeps us coming back?

I doubt if it has anything to do with the fact that I am here.  I might like to think it’s so, but in reality it’s probably not true.   (However, if it is true, you can tell me after the service; it would certainly boost my self confidence).  It might have something to do with the food at coffee hour.  I know that for some of us, particularly my son, coffee hour is the most important time of any Sunday and although the goodies are much renowned, especially if it’s something lovingly baked by F.B , I doubt as if that is the reason we are here.  (And if it is, you missed it because F.B. baked last week).

A simple answer might be that we are here to be in the presence of God.  But I don’t believe that is the full and complete answer.  While I feel the presence of God when I am here; I also feel God’s presence in other places as I am sure you are too.  I know God on sunny days when I am at the beach and I can smell the spray of the ocean.  I know God and feel God who created all of this beauty for each and every one of us.  Or when I look out at the mountains and feel the fresh breeze.  How can one not feel God’s love in the crispness of the day?  Or when I listen to a special piece of music that takes me away from the stress of life and pulls me into a moment of pure bliss; I can feel God’s love in my heart.  In the stillness of the night with all the stars above, how can we NOT feel the presence of God? God created this world; how can we not find his presence all around us?   So we do not need to be in this place to know the presence of God. 

I’ve been told there are a whole variety of reasons people come to church, why they get involved in a community of faith. Reasons include: church is a good place to meet people; church is a healthy component to a healthy and balanced life; church is a good place to remember we are not alone; church is a good place to be rooted in order to find support; church is a way for the community to just come together.  They are all good reasons. 

Now community is important and although we all have our own personal reasons for being here I think there is one underlying current that brings us together; be it today or next week, and that is that we are more than a community, we are a family.  We, each one of us, are part of God’s family.  And that I believe is at the heart of why we are here.

Our faith has brought us together, but it is our tie as a church family that keeps us returning, even on rainy days.  While there are weeks that we are not here due to the realities of everyday life, we return.    We may even return after a long period away (that would be my reference to everyone’s favorite parable about the prodigal son). 

I was born into this church, grew up in this church and moved away from it, for a variety of reasons.  There are also various reasons why I returned after I graduated from college.  But it was two specific members of this family  who reached out to me and welcomed me back into this family; C.C. who never gave up asking me to sing in the choir, even when I ignored her as a teen and V. C., who charmed me with his wit and wisdom and “roped” me into serving on the Music and Worship committee for years.  They reached out to me and drew me in, but it is if it weren't for everyone within this family of faith, I wouldn't have stayed.

We are a family.  God’s family.   We love each other like family; we annoy each other like family.  As a family we support one another during times of trouble.  We know that sometimes we have to let go.  And that it is all right to go. We have to accept each other as we are, even if we don’t necessarily like it.

As with any family, we all have different roles that we play.  Different talents that we bring.  We share our gifts with our family in a variety of ways.   In our family we have teachers, musicians, cooks, financial advisors…and the list goes on and on.  We know that each of us has our own special talent and within this family we encourage these talents to be used where they are best suited.  No one is berated for weakness in one area for we know that every and each one of us has our strengths.  As it says in 1^st Corinthians :  ¹² For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves^[a] or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. ¹⁴ For the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵ If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?¹⁸ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. ¹⁹ If all were a single member, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts,^[b] yet one body. ²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”²² On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, ²⁴ which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, ²⁵ that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. ²⁶ If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.

Our faith makes us family.  Christ calls us brothers and sisters.  Although we are not tied by blood, we are tied by faith and our commitment to each other and this church.    I think that is very apparent now, as we search for a new pastor.  We have not lost our way, we continue to be a vibrant church and work together in ways that we may not have done before.  We have not made this a time of crisis, but a time of growth and learning.

I remember when my son was born.  We were driving to another state many hours away because we knew his birth was imminent.  On the drive we got the call that he had arrived.  While I continued driving, I had Steve call our immediate family first, but then I had him also call our church family because I wanted to share the exciting news and I also wanted all the prayers the church could give me.

Our third day was particularly difficult.  He had been crying non-stop in the hospital and the next day he was supposed to be released into our care.  I wondered how we would survive living in a motel with an infant.  Again, I reached out to my church family.  I can remember speaking with C.C and her reassuring voice.

Without even knowing it my actions were echoing  the words of the new testament:  If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together

When we finally arrived home bout a week later, our first visitor (after my parents) was J.D..  It was a steamy August day (as much of the month would be that year) and both Steve and I were messy wrecks, but it didn’t matter.   “Aunt” J came by, held and blessed my baby.  All was all right.

One of the first places I brought my newborn was here.  I’ll admit it; I wanted to show him off.   I wanted to share God’s precious gift with the rest of my family.  As a new mom I was nervous.  But I was reassured before I even entered the building by A.Tb that all would be well.   And if A says it, you know it’s true. It is because in this place we are a welcoming family.  If a child cries out, or talks out of turn, it’s all right.  We are family and when things aren’t “perfect” we may get annoyed for a second or two, but then we go on.  That’s what families do.

This church family has comforted me and kept me safe.  As some of you may know the past few years have been rather difficult for me.   As a matter of fact, to put it bluntly, they’ve stunk.  I’ve been through 2 deaths in the family, serious family health issues, continued financial and employment instability and then of course there have been multiple natural disasters; Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and then snow storm after snow storm from the end of last year into this.  Life keeps knocking me down; I keep getting up only to get knocked down again, so it seems.  It’s getting pretty exhausting.

Somehow, I don’t think I’m the only one in this congregation who feels that way. Although I don’t know about everyone’s private life, I know that at least several of us have been knocked around  a bit over the past few years.    And yet here we are.  Sometimes our family gatherings are larger; sometimes smaller.  Whatever the number in the pews, we are here.  And we know that we can trust those in the pews around us to help us.  For no matter how bad things get, I can rely on my family here.  You can rely on your family here. We are here to comfort each other in times of difficulty and to celebrate in times of joy.   When I have felt low, I know I am able to turn to this church, to my family to be lifted up.  During these difficult times, one of my favorite anthems has echoed in my mind, and I asked  to have the choir sing it today.  The phrase  “Oh Lord, I need you , please hold me, hold me in the hollow of your hand” has sustained me as has this church.   Here in this church, I, and all of us are safely encapsulated in the hollow of the Lord’s hand and within the safe embrace of our family.

And that is why we are here today.  That is why we are here whenever we can be.  And when we are not, we are present in the hearts of the rest of our family.

Thanks be to God for my family and your family.  And thank you for being here today.  Amen.