Thought for Today
Genesis 32:24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help.
Luke 4:4 Jesus answered him, "It is written, 'One does not live by bread alone.'"
Revelation 15:4 Lord, who will not fear and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your judgments have been revealed."
I’m still thinking about that question from yesterday, “Where does your soul best connect with God?” My thoughts today are influenced by something I have mentioned previously. Our congregation has a long-standing summer tradition. During July and August, our congregation worships with a sister congregation in an adjacent town. In July, we worship together in their sanctuary. In August, we worship together in our sanctuary. During July, I am on ‘vacation’ from my usual routine as a pastor. During August, my colleague is on ‘vacation’ from his normal routine as a pastor. Of course, one of the blessings of being an ordained minister is that the normal routine of being a pastor is an integral part of one’s identity. A minister cannot, or at least should not, ever stop being a pastor.
This morning, however, I am anxiously looking forward to returning to worship in our sanctuary this coming Sunday. Every year on what I think of as our ‘Sunday of return,’ I look forward to ‘returning home.’ After my vacation, I find great comfort in settling back into that normal routine. Ironically, because of an annual parade that almost always falls on the first Sunday of August, our return does not exactly match our regular routine. In order to avoid the attendant road closures which usually begin at noon, we delay communion until the second Sunday of the month and also forego Coffee Hour to ensure everyone can easily get home.
The word vacation does not appear in the Bible. Our modern concept of vacations is a relatively new phenomenon. “The concept of taking time off for leisure dates back to ancient Rome, where wealthy Romans would retreat to their summer villas purely for enjoyment and relaxation. This was made possible by the development of a well-constructed road network, which allowed safe and efficient travel. Romans also valued travel as a way to learn about other cultures, observing art, architecture, and languages during their journeys . . . The mid-19th century marked the beginning of modern tourism. The expansion of railway networks in Europe enabled the growing middle class to travel more easily for pleasure.” (Copilot Search)
The Bible does, however, mention the word alone 108-170 times. Sometimes it is in the context of an individual’s being alone, e.g. Jacob’s being alone when he wrestled with “a man.” Sometimes it is in the concept of the singularity of a thing or an idea, e.g. Jesus’ answer during his Temptation.
As I think about our congregation’s summer tradition, I see a great benefit of that tradition of one congregation taking a vacation from worshiping alone and its worshipping jointly with another congregation. I find great truth in the prophet’s words above. I believe there is value in Christians joining together with other Christians to jointly worship our Creator God. We open ourselves to experiencing different worship practices and routines, different ways of celebrating our common faith.
That is part of the motivation behind ecumenical movements. Christians share a common faith, a common belief in Jesus as the Christ. Christians have also, however, found a plethora of different ways of expressing our common faith. Often, we even find different ways within a common faith tradition.
One of my favorite seminary professors would mention the ‘beautiful rainbow of various worship traditions’ through which Christians express their common faith. I believe it is beneficial for us all to occasionally experience the ways others express their faith.
All of that being said, it will be wonderful to ‘be home’ on Sunday. It will be wonderful to worship with our congregation in our sanctuary. It will also be wonderful to welcome our neighbors and to share our faith practices with them, to return the hospitality they extended to us during July.
Look for that beautiful rainbow, think about how we express our love for God, trust God,
Pastor Ray