Belong

I get asked, “what does it mean to be a ‘member’ of your church?”  And I think I answer that question differently than other pastors.  For me, ‘membership’ is about a sense of place and belonging.  What does it mean for you to ‘belong’ at St. James?  In a neighborhood?  In a community of friends?

What I have appreciated by our newer members since I started at St. James is just what I described above: a sense of belonging.  Communities of faith that organically grow (and not just in quantity) do so because they provide a space, a place, a community in which the seeker can feel at ease and belong.  The community surrounds them with love in times of distress.  The community allows the freedom to cry when so touched by God’s grace.  The community embraces those who are on a journey seeking God in their lives.  It’s not necessarily about having the ‘right’ answers or about how much money you can give or how many ministries you can join or how many people you can bring into the church or many other things.  Belonging has to do with feeling like you are a part.  What makes you feel like you’re a part of St. James?

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A sense of belonging is deeply woven into our DNA.  Individuals who are a part, belong to, a community tend to live longer than those who are not.  Individuals who belong to a community understand that life is shared together (sounds like a great book to read) and thus are willing to do just that: share life together.  They are willing to trust and be vulnerable with others.  They’re willing to cry when they need to.  They are willing to help others out when the other needs it.  They are willing to confide in others, to seek forgiveness, to be honest with others.

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As I experience you all at St. James, I wonder just why and how we each understand our sense of belonging to this community.  Has our family been here for so long, it’s just part of us?  Did I have a time when I needed to feel God’s presence seeing and acknowledging me; just the me as I am, and the idealized me I wish I could be?  Was I searching for something that is familiar in stressful times because the routine of the prayers, hymns, and sacraments give me feeling of comfort?  Why do you belong?  Because you do!

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Each of you belong!  All of us belong!  Because belonging is not a test or list of duties that you do.  Belonging is deep within your core feeling the love, grace, and embrace of God and you feel filled!  Belonging is being who I am; broken, forgiven, and striving to live in such a way that shows I hope for the kingdom of God be a reality I live in.  Belonging is about ‘being.’  When our sign says, ‘All are welcome,’ and so we state on our bulletins and invite people in; we are asking them first to belong to us and us to the.  I invite all of us, members of any king to belong!  Belong to each other.  Belong to yourselves.  And be willing to get to know, truly know, share life and belong to each any who come seeking to belong to God.