Almost two and a half years ago, the church of my denomination
(United Church of Canada) in the town just north of us was burned to the
ground as the handiwork of an arsonist. The pastor is a woman I have
known since her teen years. As you can imagine, the congregation was
swamped with rage and grief, but undertook a process of restorative
justice with the young arsonist. They went through agonizing months of
planning, dreaming, and working to rebuild their church home.
In the process, they discovered the generosity of other churches in the town (Wetaskiwin, Alberta). They were invited. and used, nine different venues for worship and programming over the next twenty-two months. The Christians of the community opened their congregational homes to the UCC folk, who never missed a Sunday's worship.
This morning, the congregation held their first service in the new church building. It was a "welcome home" service, which encouraged people to wander the building, leaving messages of support and welcome in each part of the building. The excitement and joy was mixed with tears of sadness and remembrance…and finally relief, that they were at last "home."
I regularly have that feeling when I have been away on business, or even on vacation, and finally set foot in the place I call "home." Home is made up of a number of factors. There is, of course, the physical space, the place. There is also the people who are there, whose presence makes home real for us. Ruth, the pastor, was both welcom-er and welcom-ee this morning. It was a blessed time, a moving time, a time of reflection and of joy. It was also a time that reminded us that such joy and homecoming can only occur after "home" has been missed, or lost. In this case, coming home followed upon intense pain and loss, and was cathartic for many people who have been part of that congregation for years, even decades.
Look around your home; what would hurt most if it were taken away? How could you replace it? How would you respond to the loss? What would it take for you to recover from that loss? Take a moment to reflect and then to be grateful for the homes that you have in your life: where you live, where you worship, where other loved ones live.
In the process, they discovered the generosity of other churches in the town (Wetaskiwin, Alberta). They were invited. and used, nine different venues for worship and programming over the next twenty-two months. The Christians of the community opened their congregational homes to the UCC folk, who never missed a Sunday's worship.
This morning, the congregation held their first service in the new church building. It was a "welcome home" service, which encouraged people to wander the building, leaving messages of support and welcome in each part of the building. The excitement and joy was mixed with tears of sadness and remembrance…and finally relief, that they were at last "home."
I regularly have that feeling when I have been away on business, or even on vacation, and finally set foot in the place I call "home." Home is made up of a number of factors. There is, of course, the physical space, the place. There is also the people who are there, whose presence makes home real for us. Ruth, the pastor, was both welcom-er and welcom-ee this morning. It was a blessed time, a moving time, a time of reflection and of joy. It was also a time that reminded us that such joy and homecoming can only occur after "home" has been missed, or lost. In this case, coming home followed upon intense pain and loss, and was cathartic for many people who have been part of that congregation for years, even decades.
Look around your home; what would hurt most if it were taken away? How could you replace it? How would you respond to the loss? What would it take for you to recover from that loss? Take a moment to reflect and then to be grateful for the homes that you have in your life: where you live, where you worship, where other loved ones live.
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