This is my church, St. George's Episcopal Church. Well, that's not entirely accurate. This is the inside of my church building. It's just a building...a very nice one, but all the same, it is still just a building. Without the people who make up the family of St. George's, this building would mean nothing.
At this altar I have knelt weekly for communion, on occasion in pain (physical, emotional, spiritual) asking for prayer, in thanksgiving...at this altar I stood before my friends and family and married Wayne almost 5 years ago...I sang to my Goddaughter at her baptism here...asked for support for our Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk team...at this altar I have met with Jesus. For each of these I have had many others at my side - the people who are the family of St. George's. These people are the hands, feet, eyes, hearts, ears, and voices of Jesus. They have prayed with me and for me, and I have prayed with and for them. When I was too afraid to know how to pray, they prayed for me. When I was in too much emotional pain to sing, they sang for me. And I have done the same for them. It's how it works in this family.
In the 15 years I have been a member of St. George's, the altar has not changed. People have come, stayed for awhile, and gone - some have died, some have moved away, some have found other church homes, some have left and returned (and welcomed with open hearts and arms). It's a place where when someone is missing, we notice and we pray for them.
These people are the Church - Jesus' disciples in a modern world.
Amen.
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