Thought for Today
Genesis 18:4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree.
Psalm 116:5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; our God is merciful. . . . 7 Return, O my soul, to your rest, for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.
Matthew 11:28 "Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Today is the first day of July. When we were called to First Parish Church, Greta and I were introduced to what is for us a unique custom. During the month of July each year, our congregation worships with a sister congregation 2 miles down the road. During August they worship with us. I find this a delightful, mutually beneficent tradition. I may be biased, since it means that I have the entire month to rest, recreate and maybe get a bit caught up on all the projects around our home.
There are a number of benefits in this tradition for both congregations. Churches throughout Christendom experience somewhat diminished attendance during summer as families go on vacation. With our joint worship during these months, each church realizes some economic benefit during their ‘off month.’ The economies of scale in terms of saving on utility costs are not large, but they are real. Neither congregation ceases its mission efforts; our Food Pantry continues unabated. Neither pastor is unavailable in times of need; although, each of us is ready and able to assist the other congregation if need be.
There is an ancillary benefit, however, that may not be quite so obvious to casual observation. Each summer, congregants worship together with longtime friends and neighbors with whom they might otherwise not share worship of the God whom we all serve. We are reminded of our mutuality of faith, of the faith that connects all Christendom together.
Our 2 congregations are part of the same faith tradition. Our hours of worship are the same. Even the average age of our congregants is probably about the same. Yet, each of our congregations is unique and individual. Even our Order of Worship is slightly different. Our joint worship each summer reminds us of the mutuality of our faith at the same time it allows us to experience differences in the way we worship and express that same faith. Neither of us is trying to evangelize the other. Neither of us is trying to ‘steal’ members of the other. We are simply reaping the joy of worshiping with our Christian neighbors and friends. We are benefiting from experiencing other practices and ideas about expressing our mutual love of God and of Jesus.
Sometimes in our modern, high-tech society, it is easy to become bogged down in all the minutia of daily life. Admittedly, there are even times when our faith can seem to be a burden, weighing us down, forcing us to ‘swim upstream’ in the currents of modernity. Whenever I feel that way, I take great comfort in thinking about all the others throughout Christendom with whom I share my faith. I remind myself of Jesus’ words, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Our tradition of joint worship serves for me as a reminder that there are others, even within our own communities, who believe, who share the same faith, and who express that faith in slightly different practices.
Greta and I are still discussing what we will do with our ‘free’ month of July. We may take a short trip, or not. We may ‘staycation’ right here at home and work down our ‘to-do’ list. Maybe all of the above; maybe none of the above; maybe something completely different. We will certainly worship at some time with our sister congregation, either in person or online. We will also bask in Jesus’ promise of rest for our souls.
This morning, I am relishing the break in my weekly routine. I’m sure I will think about my next sermon at some point. I’m equally sure that as soon as I finish writing this and Greta vets it for ‘release,’ I will put on my work clothes and head out into the yard to commune with God’s Creation . . . and to pull up weeds. I may even rest under a tree.
Stay safe, find rest for your souls, trust God,
Pastor Ray