You may not have noticed, but I've changed my religious status from "Christian Seeker" to "Christian", as this is one step closer toward becoming affirmed in the Lutheran faith.
On paper, I couldn't agree more with the ideals of this faith. I still had some hesitancy in abandoning my heritage, but that was purely for superficial reasons of "tradition". Once I actually began to attend services, however, it became blatantly clear that this really does seem to be my home. The beliefs are there (we will still attend Adult Ed classes to become even more knowledgeable), the sense of community is remarkably overwhelming, and the folks just seem to "get it" - that is, what it means to live the life of a christian, not just book it once mass is over and be rude in the parking lot on your way out. These people do things for the community, they are involved throughout the week, they treasure the friendships of their neighbors. THIS is what life should be, not having a separate "church life" that ends once the recessional hymn is over.
We attended another ELCA church last week. It was nice, but they didn't offer the sign of peace, and they followed a more "modern" textual format. While the message was there (and we truly enjoyed the sermon), they placed a lot of emphasis on the music. Overall, we just didn't feel as connected as we had in the other church.
This Sunday, we will definitely return to the first church I wrote about, and will proudly check the box in the attendance sheet that indicates "seeking new church home".
On paper, I couldn't agree more with the ideals of this faith. I still had some hesitancy in abandoning my heritage, but that was purely for superficial reasons of "tradition". Once I actually began to attend services, however, it became blatantly clear that this really does seem to be my home. The beliefs are there (we will still attend Adult Ed classes to become even more knowledgeable), the sense of community is remarkably overwhelming, and the folks just seem to "get it" - that is, what it means to live the life of a christian, not just book it once mass is over and be rude in the parking lot on your way out. These people do things for the community, they are involved throughout the week, they treasure the friendships of their neighbors. THIS is what life should be, not having a separate "church life" that ends once the recessional hymn is over.
We attended another ELCA church last week. It was nice, but they didn't offer the sign of peace, and they followed a more "modern" textual format. While the message was there (and we truly enjoyed the sermon), they placed a lot of emphasis on the music. Overall, we just didn't feel as connected as we had in the other church.
This Sunday, we will definitely return to the first church I wrote about, and will proudly check the box in the attendance sheet that indicates "seeking new church home".