The months of summer are often a good time to get caught up on reading. I guess that's why many libraries and book clubs host summer reading programs. It's not uncommon to find lists of recommended books for summer reading at bookstores, in magazines, and online articles. With
school being out, and a number of jobs being on a summer schedule, it's an ideal time to dust off that book you've been meaning to read and crack it open. As I have experienced in my life recently, another good time to get caught up on reading is when you find yourself spending a lot of time in the waiting room at doctor's offices and hospitals. And believe me, I've had plenty of waiting time lately.
During one of my waits, I started reading the book Who Needs God by Harold Kushner. This isn't the first book I've read by Rabbi Kushner. A few years ago, I listened to the audio version of The Book of Job: When Bad Things Happened to a Good Person. I found it to be a fascinating study of a much-maligned book of the Bible. You may be familiar with Kushner's international #1 bestseller When Bad Things Happen to Good People. For many people that is the first Kushner book they read. I, surprisingly, haven't read it yet, yet it's next on my list to read. So far, I'm on page 119 of Who Needs God. Kushner writes from a Jewish perspective, naturally, but I find that so much of what he's written also applies to Christians. Here's an excerpt from Chapter 5 ("More Die of Loneliness") that I really like.
"Organized religion…offers us a vision of a world where people no longer condemn themselves to loneliness…It offers us a place to which we can bring our whole selves…and to encounter the whole selves of our neighbors in a way we cannot meet them anywhere else. And it offers us the opportunity to share in worship…People enter [a worship service] as separate individuals, troubled, lonely, not sure if they are in the right place, and the experience of shared worship transforms them. When liturgy works…something truly remarkable happens. We transcend our sense of being unconnected individuals. We are lifted out of our individual isolation and transformed into a single organism, singing and rejoicing in the presence of God." (pp. 110-111).
If you've ever wondered why you should attend a weekly worship service and be involved in a faith community like McMurry, Rabbi Kushner gives you some excellent reasons. It is through participating in a faith community that we can encounter our neighbors in ways that we cannot otherwise. Because God is everywhere, we can encounter God anytime and anywhere. But what we can't do just anywhere is to gather in community. When we gather together and share in worship, something truly remarkable does happen. As we sing together, pray together, read scripture together, learn together, fellowship together, and break bread together (whether it's just coffee, a snack, a meal, or Holy Communion), we can experience transformation in our lives—not just as individuals but as a community of faith and a body of believers.
I'm excited about the transformation that each of us will experience as we worship, serve, and fellowship together at McMurry this summer. I hope to see all of you in church—not only at Sunday worship, but at other events as well.
Grace & Peace
Pastor Clayton