Love God and Love Neighbor
Dear Holy Spiriters,
During my sermon last week, I spoke a little bit about showing up. As Jesus showed up and was present with all those he taught and healed we too need to show up to be with one another. We need to show up because where two or three are gathered God is there too. God is also with us when we are alone but that is only half of the greatest commandment, you know, “Love God and Love neighbor.” In that commandment you can see God’s will for us to live life more abundantly through him with each other. St. Paul does describe the church as the Body of Christ, so being with neighbors is being with God.
There was a time in my life when I was unaware of what it meant to show up. It wasn’t a dark or terrible time; it was just a time in my life when I did not know any better. My first step into showing up was not even intentional. My first step into showing up involved my spiritual journey which led me to be where I am now in my relationship with God. For me it was always the people in my life that God worked through to bring me into a closer relationship with God.
The easiest example I can give you is when I felt called to be a priest as an adult. The background for this story is long and maybe I should write about it someday. Just know for now that if I felt a passion to be called to any kind of vocation as a child that vocation was to be a priest. Though later that calling became less clear. After many life events I remembered talking to my wife, Camille, about how I was feeling a renewed calling into the priesthood. Ever so wise Camille thoughtfully and lovingly looked at me and said, “Why don’t you try being an usher first?”
It wasn’t a mean or silly response; it was rather a calling for me to show up. Not simply to “show up” for church, not this automatic sense of coming to worship, but I was being called to show up and actively participate in ways other than the liturgy. It was a clarifying moment in my life. Becoming an usher changed my perspective to what it meant to be a part of a church. I was able to help people worship by not having to worry about when or where to be seated. I was able to be a friendly face to people that had been at the church a long time, and for people that were visiting for the first. As I reflect on that experience, I found it to be one that brought me closer to the church family I was a part of and closer to the God I worshipped. It was a way for me to show up directly for my neighbors.
But then I found myself helping in another meaningful way. I found myself showing up indirectly for the church. To be continued…
God’s Peace,
Mitch+