Child development experts say that for the first 18 months of our life, the fundamental question of our existence is, "To whom do I belong?" As we get older, we ask different sets of questions, but the first question we ask is always, to whom do I belong, or as the children's book phrased it, "Are you my mother?"
When we go through transitions, we often find ourselves asking this same question. When I married Cindy, I instantaneously belonged to a new person. This past week, with the birth of Ben, I have found myself belonging to yet another person. And not all my belongings are familial. I belong to friends, the community of faith, and God.
There are people in our community who find themselves without a place to belong, sometimes because of previous sin, sometimes because of disabilities, always because the world's economy has said that they are not valuable, are not worthy, are not loved. We have an awesome opportunity to subvert the message of the world, with the message of Jesus. This is why Gentle Worship is so exciting. For the first time, in the history of Dayton, a church is saying that families affected by disability are valuable, are worthy, are loved--and God has called us to be that church. There are two other churches in the Dayton Metro area that have monthly gentle worship gatherings, but we will be the first to offer a weekly place to belong for families affected by disabilities for worship, fellowship, and service.
This Saturday, Greg, Andy, Cindy, and I will be going to Hillside Chapel in Beavercreek to worship with their Gentle Worship community, and network with partners in serving the disability community in Dayton. Pray for us as we continue to plot and scheme ways to infect the world with the subversive message of Jesus. If you would like more information about Gentle Worship at the Y, please let me know.
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