I have not changed "churches" for 20 years. I am about to forget what other churches are like - what drives them, how they feel. And I know that my experience of church is unique in so many ways.
In far too many churches, the average age is pretty high. It is in few that would would find such a large number of young adults.
Most churches can easily identify a visitor. We seldom pass a Sunday when a student or two are unfamiliar to us.
All of this, I am continually reminded, makes finding a church difficult for you when you leave Clemson.
Some of you are leaving - graduating. Others of you are leaving for the summer - some to return home, others heading to internships or such. I want to remind you that it isn't similarities in age or interest which make a community meaningful; it is a common commitment to something larger than ourselves. And we all need fellow travelers around us to aid us in our pursuit of those larger ends.
Think of how helpful it is, during this week of exams and stress, to be surrounded by persons (themselves stressing, perhaps) but none-the-less willing to comfort and console you. The weeks of your summer may not be as immediately stressful, but they are no less needful of having a community where we can be reminded of God's presence and God's goodness.
Do not take a summer vacation from church. Make plans and make a commitment to identify a community and stick with it. Discover how becoming connected to a group of folks causes the differences between them and us to fade. Soon, we cease to notice differences in age, in status.
We need to be part of a church; not merely a member of the Church.
No comments:
Post a Comment