This week.

When I got to seminary and needed to find a church to do my field-placement work I was a little overwhelmed.  There are a lot of churches in New York City, enough to visit a new one pretty much every Sunday.  I chose the Church of the Heavenly Rest, located a few blocks north of the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  The church was founded in 1868 by veterans and widows of the Union Army who wanted to remember those Union soldiers who fought in the Civil War and had gone on to their ‘heavenly rest.’

I didn’t choose to do my work there because of that unique history, or because of its location near Museum Mile.  I didn’t choose it because of its art deco style (the current church was dedicated in 1929, only a few weeks before the famous stock market crash).  I chose it because it was full of people, people of all ages, people from many backgrounds, and people who weren’t afraid to come up to me, a visitor they didn’t know, and invite me to join them for breakfast.

The Church isn’t a building, it’s not even just a story about the past, or a place to be seen now; the Church is people who either draw us in or make us want to head for the exit.  No church is perfect and we shouldn’t expect perfection, being a Christian in community is hard work; but we should expect to find a place where people practice joy and hospitality, look to Jesus for hope and guidance, and rely on one another for support and encouragement.  That’s the ultimate story of all the saints we name our churches after, remember in story and song, and strive to imitate.  But whoever the saints of the past were, today is our day and the work of being the hands and feet of Christ today is our work.  May this week be a time for you to find your story enriched by the story of the saints from yesterday which gives you the strength and will to invite, encourage, and participate in the healing of the world today with others looking for that same life.

–Thomas