Your Presence Matters!

Recently I attended a funeral at the church where I grew up. Upon entering the front doors of the church, I became flooded with many warm, comforting memories of belonging. My childhood church is where I found a community who knew the power and comfort of fellowship within a church family.

Although many of us are active members in other churches now, as we came together to say goodbye to our beloved friend, it was as if we never missed a beat, we picked up right where we had left things, with warmth and affection, treasuring our love for one another. It was as if we jumped right in to where we left off from our last conversations, acknowledging our gratitude for our childhood church home where we found God together and experienced the love of Christ.

Being a part of a supporting church family requires our presence, our participation and our commitment to share ourselves as we are called by God. Yes, being a part of the church requires time. The time invested will in return give us a real connection with others that we need so desperately. The truth is we have a false since of being in community with a click of a button on our computers. The reality is we are collectively suffering from loneliness more than ever.

Bonnie Kristian gives an enlightening account of this modern day phenomena in her article, “The Vast Emptiness That Only Religion Can Fill”:

Church fills a space in our lives that is meant to be filled. A shared belief is not a private mental framework but a basis for a whole shape of life, sharing in rituals of worship, commitments, and friendship. Church unites us in a shared purpose. It binds together community and significance, it embeds us in a way of life where responsibilities include ensuring no one is lonely. To share faith in God requires that we share life with each other, because following Jesus is inherently communal and active.

You cannot buy this belonging, you cannot order it off of Amazon, you cannot even get it from watching worship services on television or on-line.

Your presence matters.

Your presence is important at church not only for one worship service one hour a week but in a variety of ways to connect and build up the parish community, the body of Christ. As our gifts line up with what the church body needs, somehow even when the trash needs to be taken out, we may miraculously sense we are serving something and someone more than the eye can see. Our presence and service equals spiritual growth, growth not only individually but collectively as a community gathered to serve God and find His purpose everyday as we connect in our common call to help grow God’s kingdom.

As we connect with one another and build up the parish community, wonderfully by God’s design, we find our needs are met with the common bond of being one unified body in Jesus Christ.

Your presence matters!