The Heart of Religion

​As we continue to deal with all of life’s challenges, whether it is health issues, weather related issues, political issues, or family issues, we are reminded just how important faith is. We need our faith more now than ever. God is Essential and it is about time that the world realizes what Christians already know. That God is real and He is alive. He lives in you and me everyday. A successful life is not having stuff, but rather it is found in the way that we experience God in our lives. To experience life at its fullest we need to live the Love that God has given to us. This Love has to start at home. We need to love and respect ourselves and our families. Then take that love to others. Our Church family, that family that we come together with to better understand God and the gift He has given us. Our church family is just like our birth family. They are the people that are there for one another as we journey in faith through this life. With our faith family, we can live into our Baptismal call, and to allow the relationship that we have with God and one another to become the center of our life. 

When you look at the history of religion and what is at the heart of religion, it has always been to Worship God. The best thing that we do in this world is to worship the creator of the world. To worship this Good God who has created us and given us everything that we have and everything that we enjoy. At the heart of Worship is Sacrifice. Worshipping God then requires that I do something. It is not about getting something, but rather what can I do for God. He wants us to Worship and praise him. Jesus spent his whole life worshiping the Father. He spent his life honoring and praising him. God has given us the faith that we enjoy and he wants us to use it to worship HIM. I am called to share that faith with others, and so we are called into action. When we go to church on Sunday, we come together as a family, (and as the Body of Christ that we have been called into) to worship together. So when we go to church and participate in the service we are giving back to God the worship that he desires. It is with one mind and one heart that we pray together. So our attendance at Church on Sunday makes a difference in our lives. It is not a chore that we have to do but rather it is the opportunity that God has given to us to worship him in the manner that he wants. The heart of Worship is sacrifice, so we come to church not to just sit and listen, but rather to sacrifice –to give back to God some of the gifts that he has given to us. Our time, our attention, our presence our sacrifice. The reason that God wants us to worship together is that it allows us to grow together as a family and to become the Body of Christ that He has called us to be. This Body of Christ counts on our attendance and participation. Each of us are important to the Body. “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” 

May we realize the gift that God has given to us when he called us into his Body and has gifted us with the ability to let the world know about this awesome God who loves them. See You at church this Sunday. 

In Christ’s love, 
Rev. Stephen W. Barch