I’ve been a sojourner all of my life. From house to house, school to school, town to town, culture to culture, and for almost a decade now, church to church. In some ways I’ve become used to this way of life, to the point that most of the time the difficulty is in rooting, staying, and making home. I am sure that I am not alone. Many of us are sojourners be it geographically, physically, or spiritually.
As I once again sojourn I am deeply aware that this time we had indeed rooted, stayed, and made home. Although rooting makes it difficult to leave it makes it better to live. I am glad that my family has chosen to always root, stay, and make home!
As we prepare to enter into a new place we have spent much time rehearsing our story. Pictures found while cleaning out provide for constant narrative, inquisitive children provide for an opportunity to recall and tell the story again, and again. We are amazed at how much our story shapes and forms the future. Each place providing a layer to our life together.
It is the same in our life of faith, especially as a community of faith. We come with our story, we join the story of a congregation, and we enter into the story of God. The story of God begins and ends with God-self, who chooses to become woven with humanity, creating, naming, calling, making covenant, pursuing, redeeming, and restoring.
This coming weekend we’ll meet and begin rehearsing our common story. We’ll begin weaving stories together as we commit again to a rooted life, stayed life, a life made in our home in God.
It’s almost time for the truck to head out . . . soon our stories will meet. See you this weekend!