Thanksgiving

Today may easily be the most awe inspiring day I have ever spent in Mt. Zion Lutheran Church since arriving here 7 years ago this November. The music, the liturgy, the testimonials and the sharing all spoke a similar message to me. That message is one of comfort from business as usual, a challenge and encouragement to think outside the box, an acceptance of things easily rejected elsewhere. We reveled in each other and our common home where we celebrate more how alike we are to one another than different from one another; where we breathe our individual gifts into ‘the mix’ and collectively harvest the rewards for God’s will to be done. We spoke honestly and courageously to eachother and told one another what we meant to one another and committed ourselves to continue being a living presence for one another. We guaranteed each other we would never be alone in a lonely world; we offered our continued collaboration with each other in a competitive world. We reaffirmed our vows to one another to continue to ‘contribute to the cost of the ride’ within our home and continue to serve beyond its walls in our community. We smiled, we hugged and we felt the overriding presence of a God who created us so individually unique and yet to coexist in peaceful harmony in community. We celebrated that community in a way I’ve never experienced before. I can say no more …. Except that there may be a website listing of the words chosen by us to describe all that we mean to one another. When that compilation is ready, you will find the link to those heartfelt feelings right here. I would encourage you to read them again and know that the very people who sit next to you in Church are family. We are family. And Mt. Zion is our blessed and sacred home away from home, the home to which we always seem to return .. again … and again.