“And on the Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue as was his custom.” Luke 4:16
Dear People of St. David’s,
I pray that you and yours are well as we come to the end of this Season of Epiphany. It’s a season of light and stories showing us who Jesus is and the grace that He offers to each of our lives and to our community of St. David’s.
On Wednesday, we will enter a new season of the Church year – Lent. Lent is the season of walking with God in a different way as more of us pay attention to the habits of our hearts. How can we live our daily lives in such a way that we are open to more of God’s grace and presence? The spiritual life always follows the physical life, so the habits of our hearts or how we live goes a long way in shaping what kind of life we have in God.
As I ponder how the habits of our hearts allow God to shape our lives, I’ve been thinking a lot about going to church on Sundays and what that says about our relationship with God. For some of us, going to church on Sundays is a weekly habit of the heart, either in-person or online. It’s one of the ways we express our thanks to God and our hope that God is with us and guiding us along the pathways of life. For others, worshiping in community is part of our overall spirituality and time with God, but not something we feel called to join in every week. Then there are some people for whom coming to church has dropped way down our list of priorities and we rarely join in at all.
For me, coming to church and worshiping God with others, when I’m not leading the worship, is the one hour in the week when I am most focused on the presence of God. Oh, my mind strays in the “boring” parts, but the concentration of time on God, in God’s presence, with others who are seeking God, changes my heart. It may be the music; it may be the scripture or something that’s said in a sermon; sometimes it’s prayers; or it could be the grace exchanged in a smile with a fellow worshiper or at the Peace. Most often it’s hearing Jesus’ words from the Last Supper and sharing in the Communion that opens my heart and draws me closer to God. Whatever it is that draws us closer to God in Sunday worship, it doesn’t happen if we’re not here or online.
Apparently for Jesus, coming to church or synagogue for Him was part of His heart’s habit. It was part of Jesus’ habit for loving God and knowing God’s love for Him. Many of the stories of Jesus’ teachings, healings, and challenging the religious authorities, happened in public worship. It suggests that Sunday worship is an important habit of the heart for being drawn into the deeper presence and love of God.
In this coming season of Lent, when many of us will be paying more attention to our lives in God and to finding ways to love God, let me encourage you to make the commitment to Sunday worship. You know where and when it is, and we would be so pleased to see you here or know that you are with us online. You may be surprised at how this one-hour habit of the heart will allow God to make God’s self Habits of known to you and turn your heart to God.
See you in church.
Grace and Peace,
The Rev. W. Frank Allen
Rector