Building Community
“I was glad when they said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Psalm 122:1
I was born in England. My father sang in the church choir as a boy and then an adult, and I do not remember a time when I was not in church on a Sunday for at least one service. I was christened, confirmed and married in the Church of England. I have both a British and American passport and have not lived in England since 1989. Since 1971, I have lived in New York, Connecticut, England, Australia, Virginia and Texas. I have moved around and have always been glad that God is at my side, and that I have been invited to walk with Him wherever I have lived.
Written by King David, Psalm 122 was an invitation for pilgrims to go to Jerusalem. It was an invitation to be a part of a community and to go to rejoice and worship the Lord. King David was glad that people joined him and that they wanted to meet with God.
We are a lonely wandering people who want to be in community and to encourage others to join us. We will be changed forever when we meet God, but we need an invitation. Moreover, laity invite most people to ‘our Jerusalem.’ We come to meet God in our Church. We gather, learn and form our beliefs in the church, and it is from there that we go out to proclaim the Good News and invite others to join us.
I am glad that my family introduced me to God and joined with me in worshiping Him. Will you invite someone to worship with us at St Martin’s?
For the Mission of the Church:
Draw your Church together, O God, into one great company of disciples, together following our Lord Jesus Christ into every walk of life, together serving him in his mission to the world, and together witnessing to his love on every continent and island.
A New Zealand Prayer Book page 141
