To Belong

This past weekend, I was invited to preach at a little church tucked into the woods in North Florida. Old Philadelphia was originally built in 1828 as a meeting place for Presbyterians and congregationalists who moved to Gadsden County from Georgia and the Carolinas. The original church burned, and the one that stands today was built in 1859.

My family’s connection to this church is deep–all four of my paternal great-grandparents are buried in the church cemetery. They all attended this church and supported its preservation, as did many of their parents and grandparents.

The church hasn’t been used regularly since 1912. On the first Sunday in May, the doors of Old Philadelphia are opened wide, the sanctuary is filled with people and music, and a guest preacher comes to town: Old Philadelphia Sunday.

It’s hard to wrap my mind around how many pastors have passed through Old Philadelphia over the last 160 years. So I was honored–and a bit surprised–to have been invited as this year’s guest preacher!

It was a challenge to think about what to preach in such an historic place that means so much to my family. I decided to preach on Luke 17 where Jesus tells the disciples and Pharisees “The Kingdom of God is among you.” I find that when I write a sermon I end up with two products: a message to the congregation, and a personal transformation through writing and preaching.

A mentor of mine once told me to never rob myself of the ability to be thanked. He encouraged me to ask follow-up questions about what exactly resonated with someone after I receive a compliment on a sermon. This can feel quite awkward, but it always invites conversation and connection so I try my best to push through my own discomfort. I received an overwhelming response on Sunday that people enjoyed hearing that God is active in the world and that as Christians we are called to accompany Christ in building the Kingdom of God on Earth. People shared feeling comforted by and hopeful about seeing God’s goodness in the land of the living.

My experience through preparing, writing, and preaching for this occasion was much different! I felt such a strong sense of belonging. I belong to this tradition and to my family who has nurtured both the faith and the building of the church. I shared a story in my sermon of how my earliest memories of faith are not moments, but feelings. The strongest and earliest feeling I remember is the belonging I felt in my family and in church. This weekend was a powerful reminder of my roots and that I belong to these people and this place.

I understand that it is an immense privilege to feel such belonging. I can imagine that many crave to find this belonging in their families, but find only rejection and loss. Belonging and being known are central to human flourishing and can certainly be found outside of our families of origin.

One of the most important books I’ve read is All About Love by bell hooks. This book shifted how I think about love; Through hooks’ masterful and personal writing, I learned how to love others and myself well. The pages of my copy are well worn and dogeared, and there are notes scribbled all over the margins. I revisit the book often, always finding new insights with each read. Hooks writes that we were all supposed to learn love from our families of origin, and yet, many of us didn’t feel loved the way we hoped we might. Even people with positive family experiences in childhood also had moments of rejection and hurt. Hooks continues, writing that through our friendships we get to learn to love in new and transformative ways. I hope that all of you can think of people and places to which you belong. How can you cultivate and nurture those relationships? Do you see these people and places as essential to your happiness? Like water, sun, and fertile soil for plants, love and belonging keep us thriving. In both simple and profound ways.

Text copyright © 2023 Grace Woodward. All rights reserved.