Not that I truly know what the mystical body of Christ is, but the very phrase lifts me beyond the ordinary and into a realm of being that defies description. It certainly is a place I would like to be.....knit together with all god's people. somehow we are joined with the entire cosmos, the full sweep of life, the now and the beyond. It is a mystery in which we want to live, somehow.
Or maybe not.
I find great comfort (albeit, great challenge as well) in a relationship with God through Jesus in the power of the Spirit. In times of great sorrow and loss, the promises of the faith and the church building itself provided a framework for my grieving, and hope for a different tomorrow. God's tomorrow. A tomorrow filled with new life.
Not everyone feels this way. This was very clear on Sunday, when all the families whose relatives we have buried this past year, and whose names are remembered in our All Saints service chose not to attend worship. (please note that they were individually invited). Now some of these families do worship in other traditions, and I expect that's where they were. Or maybe not.
Maybe the knowledge that I am loved by a power not only greater than me, but great enough to create the cosmos, is neither valued nor known by the wider public. Maybe the call of the Spirit to live beyond my own imagination and into my better self is non-sensical to my neighbors. Maybe the deep connection that I find in prayer and communion is found by others in .....well, I don't know what.
What will you say about God and God's calling to life through Jesus? Perhaps if we practice before the time comes, we will be prepared to be Christ's light to others in their time of need.
Oh, dear, I'm disappointed as well that no family members came. There is not doubt -- it's a hard service for me to get through each year, BUT -- so very important to me. I hope those who were not at Luther Memorial were worshipping somewhere else, experiencing that "knit together" promise.
ReplyDelete