Connections are too precious to take for granted

When you receive this I will be behind a locked door in a jury room with seven people I met for the first time two weeks ago. When we answered the call to potential jury duty, we did not know each other. Now we know  what each other does for a living, the special ingredients several of us add to chili, how many grandchildren three of us have and the fact that two of us expect grandchildren soon, that two of us anticipate changing jobs in the next year, how strong we like our coffee, our dietary restrictions, and more. Each of us takes pride in performing our civic duty by serving on this jury and, despite the disruption to our schedules, we have enjoyed the experience. We have connected with each other. We may never meet again, but we will carry pieces of each other with us for the rest of our days.

After nearly five years of ministry together, you know how much emphasis I place on relationships. I believe that we relate to God primarily through the ways we relate to each other. I also believe that our relationships make and keep us alive. A newborn deprived of human contact will not develop into a healthy human being. Imprisoned people denied contact with others will add significant deviancies to whatever landed them in prison in the first place. We need genuine contact with others. For many, perhaps most, of us, family provides the majority of that contact. Yet, most of us need more.

The connections we share in Mount Washington Presbyterian Church are too precious to take for granted. The more healthy the links we share, the stronger we become as individuals and community. I dream of the day when each one of us has lunch or dinner with at least three others at some time during the year, especially if one of those three is someone we do not know well. As we break bread together, in a jury room, a home, or a restaurant, we know and understand more about each other. The more we know and understand about each other, the harder it becomes to harm each other and the more natural it becomes to support each other.

If the folks with whom I serve on this jury had not been called to this service, we probably would never have connected with each other. Our shared responsibility provided the context for our connections. That applies to congregations as well. Those elected to service on our Session or Care Ministry, and those who serve on our various ministry teams truly connect with each other. This weekend, we will focus on and celebrate such connections with our Exploration Event. Following each of our worship services, representatives of most of our ministry groups and teams will have representatives in our fellowship hall to let us know when they meet, what they do, and how to join. Please do not wait for a summons. Attend the Exploration Event and hear God offering ways to connect. As we become more connected, our light will shine more brightly in the world, our membership in this congregation will grow more meaningful, and our participation in the Body of Christ will more completely shape our lives. Plus we may pick up a tip to make even tastier chili!

Grace and Peace,

LP