Uncovering What Already Existed

I have recently returned to the church from the gift of a sabbatical.  A family began visiting the church during the time I was away.  Upon my return I went over with staff the new faces that are now a part of the church life.  I was able to have a nice face-to-face conversation with a woman who has been attending for a short while.  I shared I was grateful to meet her and had heard she was already becoming involved in the various ministries of the church.  Her response to me was, "I have been a part of the Disciples of Christ church my whole life, I just did not know it until I came here."

Life is much like this woman's response.  We sometimes do not know the right fit until it is experienced.  The church has been expressed in so many ways since the church began following Jesus' time on earth.  There are so many denominations and ways of proclaiming the Christian faith.  We can walk into a lot of churches and enjoy them or not feel comfortable in them.  When we find the right place for ourselves we seem to know it pretty quickly.  We seem to instinctively know when we have found our Christian home: relationships click, worship feeds you, ministry opportunities excite you, and your soul feels joy.

The other part of the equation of uncovering part of ourselves is being open to new things.  Discovering our potential with experiences that feel like home only come with a spirit of exploration and openness.  Home can be something comfortable and known, yet home can be something yet to be encountered.  A willing spirit on our behalf helps strengthen our identity as well as our connection to the Holy. 

I give thanks for those moments when I uncover an experience or encounter that evidently was already part of my being but it just had not been ignited before.

Thanks be to God for those moments of celebration and growth.

Grace and Peace,

Rev. Dr. Chris Wilson