How do you feel when you are at church participating with your friends and family in worship of God?  Does it energize you?  Are you excited to see acquaintances and friends sitting in the pews near you?  Do you feel like you are a part of something bigger than yourself?  Are you experiencing the forgiveness of God?  Do you have hope in the future, especially in God’s promise of resurrection and life everlasting?  The last part of the creed is a comprehensive statement that encapsulates several concluding elements of our theology.  They are words intended to provide hope for today and each day to come.

The more I hear of the mental health concerns of people in America, the more I am drawn to specific answers.  While there is ample evidence of a rise in “loneliness” in our society, there are communities that gather once or more each week for the purpose of being active in each other’s lives.  They are there for the purpose of worship – particularly of God who creates, regenerates, and saves.  They come together to learn what it means to follow the way of Jesus in bringing healing and wholeness to a broken world.  They come together to love and support each other, especially in times of celebration, suffering, or loss.  Through the sacrament of Holy Communion, they enact the redemptive work of God that forgives sins.  And through the telling of story and sharing in service, they proclaim the church to be the living presence of Christ.  This is our tradition – a tradition shaped and informed by faithful saints who have come before us.

I encourage you to take time during the late summer or early fall to walk through our memorial garden on the north side of the sanctuary.  Several years ago, Joan Peschka, one of our saints worked tirelessly to take an unused space and create a place of prayer and rest.  While it is not a licensed columbarium or cemetery, we have interred the ashes of past members in these grounds.  It is their final resting place.  On the wall of the church is a plaque that lists their names.  There are also bricks with several names on them as well as engraved benches.  Between the memorial garden, worship, and our service for others, we are reminded time and again that we are part of the communion of saints.  We are part of the great cloud of witnesses who, in the power of the Holy Spirit, extol the mighty works of God the Father and proclaim Jesus as Lord and Savior.  This profession unites us with other worshippers of God around the world and across the span of time.  We are all part of the holy and universal community of saints called to share in witness and service for the common good.  In times of escalating loneliness, the church is God’s answer; community is the cure.

I invite you to take time and read each of the scriptures above followed by reflection on the questions below.  Determine your level of loneliness measured against your engagement in community.  Lastly, I pray that God bless the reading of God’s Word and the meditations of your heart.

Questions to Consider this week:

• Monday:  Are you lonely?  What makes you feel this way?
• Tuesday:  Do you know someone who says they are lonely?  How connected are they to others?
• Wednesday:  How often do you find yourself engaging with people in a faith community?
• Thursday:  Does that help to thwart loneliness?  Why or why not?
• Friday:  What does it mean to be a part of the communion of saints and the great cloud of witnesses?
• Saturday:  How does participating in Holy Communion enrich your soul and witness to the world?

Actions for the Week:

• Head:  Assess your feelings to see if loneliness is prominent. 
• Heart:  Discern if there is a sin that is keeping you from being a greater part of the communion of saints.
• Hand:  Pray that God forgive any sin that keeps you from being active in the church and present for others in the community.