I’ve adopted a saying from the United Church of Christ in the ritual welcome to the Lord’s table that I offer whenever I preside at Holy Communion.
I say, “No matter who you are or where you are on faith’s journey, you are welcome at this table and in the community of faith!”
Faith is a journey and there are times when that journey leads us into a place of deep questions as it did for the disciple Thomas just a week after Jesus’ first post-resurrection appearance to the women and the rest of the disciples. The faith journey of Thomas may have been stuck in grief or fear. He had been absent for the first appearance of Christ. Maybe he needed some time alone to process the events of the past week. We don’t know where he was, just that he missed out.
Over 20 years ago I was sitting with a family at a mortuary, planning the funeral for their son who had been killed in an accident. The parents were close friends of mine and members of the congregation I served. The funeral director said something to all of us that made a deep impression on me. He urged the family to be gentle, loving, and understanding with each other, telling them that grief is a process that moves at individualized rates. It’s like riding an elevator. Some of you may have to stay at first floor longer than others. Another may move through the stages quicker than others. Remember that it’s ok for each one of you to be where you are. It takes time. One day you may think you’ve reached the next floor, and the next day find yourself in the basement again. It’s ok. “No matter who you are or where you are on faith’s journey, you are welcome in the community of faith and at the Lord’s Table.”
That was true for the disciple Thomas, too. Although we don’t know the whole story, what we see in the gospel is that the community of faith welcomed him back, doubts and all. Wherever he had gone to grieve, to be alone, to process in his own way, when he returned he was allowed to question. It was there, in the safety of a welcoming community that he got the answers he needed to move along.
This year we’ve had to find new ways of creating and maintaining Christian Community. I created a Facebook group for members of the Blue Church in Mazatlan. My son created a weekly family Zoom call that has been a real blessing. We’ve made use of the phone and email more than ever.
Yesterday I got a phone call from a friend in Mazatlan who wanted to make sure I knew that a mutual friend’s mother had died of Covid this week. My husband and I already knew that as our mutual friend had reached out to us for prayer support earlier in the week. Yet, the phone call was another reminder that Christian Community is such an important part of who we are. We need each other and the open arms of the church can comfort us, or challenge us, or offer us an opportunity to learn, serve and grow.
So, if you’re in a good place right now I encourage you to reach out to someone whose elevator car might be stuck in the basement, whose journey of faith has led them into a place of isolation, fear, grief, or loneliness. Be gentle, loving and understanding. Share the good news that God’s love enfolds us all, all the time.