Come Back to Touch

Yesterday I shared a story told to me by Peggy Donaldson. She also told me a story from a sermon she once heard. The pastor told about being on vacation with his wife and son. They were walking along a shopping district, looking in windows and enjoying the day. Their son, who was about 9, would run ahead for a bit, and then come back and walk with them. He would grab their hand for a minute, and then run ahead again.

The pastor made the point that this is what we do when we come to worship. We come back to touch, then we go off into the world on our own.

It is a good analogy. When we worship, we come back to give thanks and praise. But we also come back to remember whose we are, and who we are. We re-set our inner compass and are strengthened to go back into the world to love and to serve.

Whether it is a church, a temple, a synagogue, or a prayer group, and whether that is online or in person, I hope you have a place where you regularly come back to touch.

Let us pray:  God of hope, in this maze of life, it is easy to lose our way. It is easy to get off track and find ourselves far from home. We thank you for the blessing of faith and for people with whom we can share the journey. Help us to make the time and space in our lives to come back into your welcoming presence, to give thanks, and to receive your guidance, grace, and strength. We ask in Christ’s name. Amen.