Surely you will say to me, "What? You went to church last Sunday? You always go to church! You're the Conference Minister. Of course you went to church."
Yes, that is true. I go to church a lot--to worship, to meet with members, to encourage and to pray, to sit in the presence of Jesus, to glorify and praise God. There have been very few times when I have not wanted to be in church on Sunday morning. This has been my centering spiritual practice for a long, long time.
On Sunday, which was both Valentine's Day and the First Sunday in Lent, I traveled to the Community Church of Hudson, which is one of our smallest local churches. There on a cold, clear morning with temperatures well below zero, I found the warmth of Christian community. The faith was proclaimed and taught, Communion was shared, and I was at home. Hudson reminded me of the tiny church on the border between Missouri and Iowa--Livonia United Methodist Church--where the United Methodists welcomed me as their Sunday morning preacher while I was in college. That little congregation of eight members was formative in my call and has been foundational my care for small-membership churches. The Community Church of Hudson, United Church of Christ is a community to be cherished in the New Hampshire Conference as it worships God and serves God's people.
I am reminded of Paul's words: "When one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." (I Cor. 12:26, NRSV). We are all connected in Christ. I am so very glad that I went to church last Sunday.
Thank you, Gracious and Gathering God, for the Community Church of Hudson, United Church of Christ! Amen.
Yes, that is true. I go to church a lot--to worship, to meet with members, to encourage and to pray, to sit in the presence of Jesus, to glorify and praise God. There have been very few times when I have not wanted to be in church on Sunday morning. This has been my centering spiritual practice for a long, long time.
On Sunday, which was both Valentine's Day and the First Sunday in Lent, I traveled to the Community Church of Hudson, which is one of our smallest local churches. There on a cold, clear morning with temperatures well below zero, I found the warmth of Christian community. The faith was proclaimed and taught, Communion was shared, and I was at home. Hudson reminded me of the tiny church on the border between Missouri and Iowa--Livonia United Methodist Church--where the United Methodists welcomed me as their Sunday morning preacher while I was in college. That little congregation of eight members was formative in my call and has been foundational my care for small-membership churches. The Community Church of Hudson, United Church of Christ is a community to be cherished in the New Hampshire Conference as it worships God and serves God's people.
This church was in the news last month because a small truck crashed through a front window and landed inside the fellowship hall. The damage is extensive and is still evident. What stirs my soul about this story is how--on the very day that the crash occurred--the church continued to serve the poor in its community by distributing food through a back door in that fellowship hall. The Community Church of Hudson serves in the midst of adversity. It sees Christ in those whom others might easily overlook, especially when the church has reasons to be distracted and discouraged by its own problems. The Spirit of Christ abides here!
I am reminded of Paul's words: "When one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it." (I Cor. 12:26, NRSV). We are all connected in Christ. I am so very glad that I went to church last Sunday.
Thank you, Gracious and Gathering God, for the Community Church of Hudson, United Church of Christ! Amen.
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