"For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another."
I'm a little sweaty from walking in the concrete jungle from the Metro stop. In my ears Siri tells me that I have "arrived at my destination".
An hour and half early.
I don't mind arriving early though. Even though my iPhone's GPS means I've literally arrived at my destination, I've also metaphorically arrived. This has been a destination I've been walking towards for months now. In all honesty it's been about 8 months since I first began to pray about finding my faith community here in Washington, DC.
And I certainly did arrive this beautiful Sunday morning.
As I literally sat in the shadow of the temple, waiting for the doors to open, I savored in the glory of the Sunday morning. Around me were a mix of people heading to church, running and those who you could tell might not have a permanent home. Yet all seemed content. I conversed with everyone around me as I headed into the chapel.
Since I was early it was just me and few other people. The beauty of the sanctuary took my breath away. The white stone and colorful glass widows depict a glorious representation of God and his kingdom. However, the beauty of His kingdom I had yet to truly see.
As more people began to filter into the sanctuary my mind kept going back to the first correspondence I had with the pastor of this church 7 months earlier.
One of the first things Pastor Donna Claycomb Sokol told me was that the congregation of MVP reminded her of what she thought the kingdom of God truly looked like.
Today I saw that statement in its truest form.
The cast of characters I was blessed to get to meet this morning made my heart almost swell with joy. I was moved by strangers who quickly became friends. A faith community I blended into very quickly as well. As we shared hugs and laughter and later coffee after the service, I could not help but smile.
There is an atmosphere present in this church of genuine people. Already I have been a product of that from welcoming messages and prayers for the past few months, to lunch with a now friend, Carly and then today.
This was the last piece of the puzzle I needed to make this transition to Washington, DC feel fully complete. Now I get to sit back and watch God work through me during this time of change. I am so thankful for the doors He is opening for me, and for the door of His church that he opened for me too.
One of the biggest pleasures today as well was getting to meet the sweet Pastor Donna. A woman of God I have felt like I have known for a long time. Through our email and social media correspondence, I had a feeling I would hit it off well with her. Our wonderful fellowship time after service today at a now "must go too more often" sandwich shop, I saw that I was correct.
While this woman got me the first time we said hello in the sanctuary because she embraced me in a hug, it was her poignant and very genuine presence that moved me. Her love for all who walked into that door this morning just resonated from her. There were no strangers to her, even if this was their first time at the church like mine; no, they all were immediately family.
The wonderful relationships I see myself building at MVP already just warm my heart. It will be the roots I'll need while I am here to continue to allow God to use me and grow me.
The only words I have left are...TO GOD BE THE GLORY.
amen.
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