About you, about us, why be part of a church

All human beings have three things in common.  We’re born, we live and we die.  For such simple facts, these truths raise profound questions for us.

 

We know about our bodies: we eat, sleep, work and have children.  We know about our feelings, about love, sorrow, joy, boredom or fear.  We form relationships with other people, we dream, we plan, we get hurt and most of the time, we take these events for granted and do what we need to do for another day.

 

But then sometimes something profound or miraculous or disastrous happens—like holding a baby or falling in love or being with someone who is dying.  At that moment, we become aware of just how big the world is and how small we are in relation to it and we ask, “why?”

 

Spirituality, the search for meaning and purpose, wrestles with deep questions about life and death.  We cannot answer them on our own, so we turn to others for help—friends, parents, religious leaders or  sometimes even strangers, someone we can reach out to who can help us make sense of life.

 

Religious traditions, through their sacred writings, beliefs and spiritual practices, offer a framework and a community of people within which to engage the big questions and to journey through life.  Christianity is a 2000 year old religion.  As Christians we see every human being as a beloved child of God.  We follow in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ who we believe reveals the nature of God.  Our religious tradition tells us that meaning and purpose in life are found in giving of ourselves for others.  Christianity says, “love God and your neighbor as yourself.”  This love is not a feeling but behavior: kindness, compassion, justice making.  Our church offers community: folks who help each other find the way, companions who share the journey.

 

At St. Peter’s we help each other experience the love of God, connect the meaning and purpose we find in Christianity with our 24/7 lives and share the resources of our faith  tradition so that we can live with integrity, compassion and joy.