Where do you belong?
Robert Frost famously said “Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in.” We all need a place like that, a home like that. A place to come home to. And we hope, all of us, that the people at home not only have to take us in, they actually want to.
We use “place” language for this all the time, like “where.” But I wonder if we should use “who” instead. Because home is not just about the place, it’s about the people. The people who have to take us in. The place where we belong is less about longitude and latitude than the people we belong with.
Sometimes, for some people, that sense of belonging comes from those who are related to us by blood, or with whom we grew up. Other times, the people we belong with are the people we have the most in common with now- similar lifestyles, similar values, etc. When we have people like that to belong with, it is a good and beautiful thing, even a gift from God. But that sort of belonging isn’t the only one there is.
Grace Lutheran Church is a place to come home to, a people to come home to. Because we have a command from God to welcome all people, so we have to take you in. But even more, we’ve discovered the joy of a diverse group of people, worshipping God together, so we actually want to take you in too!
What I’m saying is that, through God’s love which we share with each other, Grace Lutheran is a place where YOU belong. We mean it.
This month, we’ll be welcoming new members on August 25th and we’re delighted to have them! They belong on paper, officially, legally! Of course, there are many others who belong with us, even without ever officially joining.
We’re learning how to create connections, community, a sense of belonging on Facebook and twitter. If you missed our Faith and Social Media class, but still want to learn, let me know. Grace members are standing by to give you tutorials on how to join and use Facebook and twitter. We belong online too!
And of course, we’re focusing on how to give others a place to belong- especially through Grace Place. Every Thursday, we give homeless youth, of all sexual orientations and gender identities, a place to belong. We’ll be talking about volunteer opportunities from cooking dinner on Aug 30th through serving on the Board of Directors or as a Direct Volunteer.
Grace Lutheran is a Place to Belong. A place where you belong, a place where we can make a home for others. Because, In Christ, God has created a home, a place, for us.
In Christ,
Pastor Lura
