By Ariel Merivil
In her book The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker observes, “There are so many good reasons for coming together that often we don’t know precisely why we are doing so.” So why are we gathered today?
Our weekly worship is a spiritual practice — a discipline where we set aside time to meet the divine presence of God. Many of us know the promise from Matthew 18: wherever two or three gather in God’s name, they will find God’s presence. This is our weekly call — we are gathered to experience God in new and transformative ways. Moments that will change us, encourage us, embolden and empower us for renewing work in our communities and the world.
Our worship is a time for rest and renewal where we receive “new mercies” for the uncertainties ahead. This week, our Scripture texts speak directly about encountering God. The psalmist declares, “I lift my eyes to the hills for help,” yet recognizes that true help comes from the Lord — the one who made those hills, the seas and all that surrounds them. In Genesis, we read of Jacob wrestling with a divine visitor, from whom he demands a blessing. God answered and blessed him.
When you arrived at Wilshire this morning, what hopes or expectations did you carry? Have we become so attached to ritual and tradition that we no longer expect God to do a new work in our lives? Friends, we don’t have to look far to see how much around us is crumbling. And yet, God is still moving in and through you and this community of faith.
This week, we have a uniquely beautiful opportunity to worship alongside the Plymouth Choir from Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska — a community of faith much like ours, actively pursuing justice and a love-centered faith for all people. Like Wilshire, they believe God’s love extends to all, and that we are charged to proclaim and embody “Good News” that is truly good for everyone.
I hope that in our worship this morning, you will find strength in the God who binds us together in community. May that strength galvanize us to press through the difficult journey of life until we reach our “home” — a world that is more loving, more just, more mercy-filled for all.