07 Sep When I Think of Home

Dear Westwood Church Family,

I’ve had “Home” from The Wiz stuck in my head all day: “When I think of home, I think of a place where there’s love overflowing…”

Learning to love, in the lyrics of the song, has the power to make things “real.”

I hope you feel at home here at church. Whether it’s a familiar place and a community that’s embedded into memories from all through your life, or whether it’s a place and community you’ve only just found. Even more, I hope that this home can be a place where we all have occasion to be taught more and more about how to love.

Because our community is formed by people who follow Jesus, we’re always trying to figure out how to let compassion, grace, justice, and love shape us. This requires that we welcome strangers, freely offer forgiveness, and serve one another. Because that isn’t always easy, we do this together–and we practice with each other. Our diversities carry rich gifts as we discover “home” together.

If we’re committed to this practice–to trying to live out Jesus-like love–this community can easily feel like home not just for those of us who are already here, but for folks we haven’t yet met.

This Sunday, we’ll celebrate “Homecoming Sunday.” More than a nostalgic celebration of what we’ve already known, I am excited for ways that it will shape us toward a future together. In worship, learning, and at lunch, may we all find ourselves “at home” in a meaningful way.

grace and peace,
Pastor Molly