We Belong!

I remember the first time I ever felt like I belonged in church; the first time I ever felt like I belonged to God: it wasn’t’ remembering my baptism. I was probably only a couple of weeks old when my parents promised to raise me in the ways of Christ and more importantly God promised to grant me a life with God’s constant loving presence and guidance. I know that baptism is important and I have frequently “re-membered” my baptism – re-engaging with the spiritual relationship that exists between God and myself; a relationship that declares that I am one that would willingly die to my false and failing images of self and live anew, in the  resurrected life of Christ. To me, this means that I don’t have to wait until I’m dead to live eternally. In each moment that I am living the life I was created to live, my eternal life is giving itself expression profoundly in the present (this applies both as a gift and as a measure of time).

As important as baptism is to me, the moment that I felt like I belonged to God was the day I received communion for the first time. It was over 40 years ago and I remember it vividly. I was at St. John of the Cross Catholic Parrish in Lemon Grove, California. My family looked on proudly. My grandfather, Stephen D. Pett was bursting with pride (He is the one I would call my first father in the faith. He would later sponsor me in my confirmation). Our class came in singing. I still remember the song, “Take my bread, I ask you  - Take my heart, I love you,- Take my life, oh Father , I am yours…” We were taught how special this sacrament was, we were taught how respectful to be of this gift from Jesus, but we weren’t taught how it would make us feel; that had to be experienced.

I belonged! I belonged to a community of faith. I belonged to a happy and celebrating family. I belonged in this place where I could learn to experience God. Best of all, I belonged to God (and I knew it…and there is nothing anyone could do about it). I belonged!

These days, I am excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church in which my faith journey began. If I attend a mass, I know how to honor both the priest and myself. I approach the table of communion and cross my arms in the shape of an X across my chest. This lets the priest know that I want a blessing and honor his role in the body of Christ. It also demonstrates that my place as excommunicated is one that I am aware of and that I accept with Joy. Yes Joy. I still know that I belong to God and I am joyfully serving God in the United Methodist Church.

Now I have the honor of bringing communion to my community. I get the pleasure of celebrating with each member of the community that wishes to live a life in Christ that we belong! I want everyone to know that in the eyes of Christ we belong. If we choose, we can belong to the active, living, world changing body of Christ. We can belong in this precious church, the United Methodist Church of Merced, which professes that nothing about us will ever exclude us. We can belong to this community of faith that wants

 To Know the Love of God

To Grow in the Way of Christ

To Go serve God’s World

We can belong in an act of loving service or in an act of centering prayer. We can belong to this safe place or we can belong to a group that is dedicated to making our community and our world safer for everyone. What I mean is we belong to God!

In Communion, we celebrate all the ways that we belong. Won’t you celebrate with me? Every week at our 9:30am Sunday service, you are invited to the table that Jesus set.
Praise be &

Enjoy God,
 pg