— Midweek Meditations:
thoughts, inspiration and encouragement
from ACF community members —
The feeling of being home versus being a visitor. Have you ever walked into a room and instantly felt like “I am home, i am where i belong”.
The other day, in my Religion Course, the question “what does the church mean to me?” was raised. I didn’t have to think twice, “Home.”
The Church is more than just a building, it’s a place where we get to be together in Christ, with Christ. It’s a place where we are never alone, united in the presence of Christ. Home is a place of comfort, belonging, safety, acceptance and love
A moment that made my heart glow with the sense of home in our church:
A couple months ago, I was going through a bit of a hard time. One Sunday after the service I sat inside the church, just me and God, with the doubts and questions in my head running wild because I knew that God was there collecting these thoughts. The door opened and it had a very distinctive sound, I wiped the tear that fell from my eye and straightened my back, on reflex. I felt someone take the seat next to me. No words were exchanged. A good five minutes went by and then they asked me “how are things?” and factory reply “things are good” was all i said. We talked about our day-to-day lives, very simple, very mundane conversation. The person then got up, squeezed me reassuringly on the shoulder and said, “ Whatever you’re going through, you will figure it out. God’s got you.” I remember feeling so seen and heard, thanking God for this family. The following Sunday during the sharing of peace, as I was collecting my hugs for the week and sharing peace, the same person came over to me, gave me a hug and asked “and? Is everything okay now?” I had to think about what exactly they were talking about, and when it clicked, my heart felt like it was glowing. They remembered, on top of all the things going on in their personal life, they remembered and asked me– took the time to acknowledge my existence, they noticed my pain and they showed me love.
There are naturally so many amazing experiences I’ve had at this church that genuinely make it very easy for me now to answer the question I’ve been repeatedly asked in my 18 years of life… “where do you feel most at home?” I can say proudly “it is here, at this church, with this community where I personally feel most at home.“
Everyone has a home on this earth, you just need to find it, and if it helps, just know Christ’s home always has room for more.
Prayer:
Lord, Thank you for making us part of your family. Help us to make your Church a place where everyone can feel at home, feel loved, accepted and known by you. Amen.
The ACF Midweek Meditations
are written by a diverse group of our church members with the intention to seek God’s fingerprints in our lives. They range from somber to humorous and are inspired by all facets of live and faith. Written by ordinary people from all walks of life, they reflect a wide range of Christian backgrounds and spiritualities.
Each week’s text portrays the individual viewpoint of its author. They might not always resonate with everyone, and are not meant to be understood as representing the Anglican Church Freiburg as a whole. Yet, as a church that is aiming to ‘Build a Community of Grace’ we seek to practice learning from and listening to one another.
We pray that these humble ponderings add a small spark of blessing to your week.
Freiburg Anglican Church 