My sister, Mae, got married this weekend. It was a wonderful, joyous occasion and it all happened in our hometown of Raymond, Miss. Sadly, I don't get back to Raymond much despite the fact that it's only about 30 minutes away. But in returning home to participate in this celebration, I got to experience one of my places of home again for the first time.
From about the time I was nine or ten, we worshipped at the Raymond United Methodist Church downtown. I was drawn by the kids programs and the Sunday School and my family soon followed. We worshipped there consistently until I went away to college. It was a church filled with Godly people delivering the Gospel from the pulpit, pews, classrooms, and choir loft. I spent many a Sunday in the choir singing about the Grace of God and His unending love.
The only problem was I wasn't hearing it. Through my own sinful nature and my understanding of the world around me, I grew up with the belief that if I was good and faithful, God would love me enough to preserve my soul forever. I can remember many moments of anxiety walking into that sanctuary and thinking, "After what I did last night, how can I show my face in God's house this morning?" or "How can I be sitting at the front of this church when God knows what I'm thinking in my heart?"
It took me a long time to realize that I didn't understand the Gospel at all. I had it backward. I was a grown man with kids of my own before I realized that God loves me where I am and as I am. His Grace allows me to grow in faith and become the best that I can be. I had one thing right in my youth, I would never be good enough to earn salvation. Thankfully, my salvation isn't mine to earn. It was a gift given to me 2000 years before I was born.
So that brings me to Saturday. When Mae decided to get married at Raymond United Methodist Church, I was excited to see my old "stomping grounds" but I had no idea how I would be impacted by being in that place. As we sat at rehearsal Friday night and during the service on Saturday, I thought back to those moments of doubt and thanked God for my journey. It was so pleasing to return home as a man in love with God and living in His embrace. It was so good to be asking the God of Love and Grace to bless the marriage of my little sister and her husband. It was such a powerful experience to be worshipping in such a familiar place and, for the first time, doing it with the knowledge that Jesus is my Savior and the architect of my salvation.
It was so good to go home, even for a few precious hours.
Great post. Went to a UM church just like yours. I am not sure there was as much to hear there as yours, but when I go back I thank God for what WAS there and the things of God added to my life because of the people of God congregated.
ReplyDelete