“We are better because you choose to spend your time among us!” What a clever expression, thought I, when I first heard Fr. Jeff exclaim it as he welcomed worshippers to Church of Our Saviour. Clever, yes, but over time I have come to know a deeper meaning behind these twelve words, words that I now look forward to hearing each time Jeff greets our congregation.
Twelve words . . . a significant number for those of us who call ourselves disciples of Jesus Christ. There is great strength and affirmation in knowing that there are others with whom I share the Christian journey. I recall no event in my life that demonstrated this so vividly as what I experienced in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. When I heard the news, I hurried to Church of Our Saviour, where I joined my fellow parishioners to grieve and pray for the victims and their families. It simply never occurred to me to go anywhere else or do anything different. COS is my go-to place in times of trouble, where I find comfort and peace when nothing seems right with the world.
With so many choices of places to go and things to do, it pleases me to see how many of us make our way to COS on Sunday mornings. When the Gospeler walks down the center aisle, it affords me a chance to turn and look back over the congregation, where I see old friends and friends yet to be. We are better because we are a part of a community, a gathering of people who might differ on everything else but not on whom they choose to worship with and with whom they choose to be with on a Sunday morning.
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