REVisions:

"How often should we come to church?" someone asked me yesterday. I hear that question surprisingly often, and I'm equally surprised that anyone who knows me couldn't already predict the answer.  Predictably, my answer was, "as often as we can!"  I don't mean that you will never be sick or away or (as in my own family), negotiating around another adult or separate households, but as often as we can.   How often is possible?  Each one of us has to figure that out for ourselves.  I go to church every Sunday morning because I work here, but I also go to worship Sunday evenings with my personal spiritual community.  It is usually possible for me to participate, but it is NEVER convenient.  It is usually possible for me to be there, but it is rarely easy to get my family settled, and turn my attention to matters of spirit.  This is not a boast, I HATE getting myself motivated at the end of my most demanding work/family day.  But it is possible.  And it is ultimately for me that I make what is possible a life habit, a Sunday habit.  It keeps me sane, accountable, centered. 

Churchgoing is a habit, and it is up to you to decide how important a habit it is to cultivate for yourself and for your family.  In Jeanne Nieuwejaar's slender book, 'The Gift of Faith', she recounts a article that appeared in the Boston Globe.  A local rabbi was making the case for regular participation in temple services and Hebrew school. This to parents in a community where sports and theatrical events interrupted the religious life of their families.  ' The rabbi asked a group of parents, "How many of you want your children to grow up to be professional soccer players?"  No hands were raised.  He continued, "How many of you want your children to grow up to be observant Jews?"  All the hands were raised.  "Then," he said, "Think about the priorities you place on your children's time. Think about what you're really saying to them."

Unitarian Universalists take great comfort in being free to choose, but that doesn't make a case for casual church going.  Religious life is a choice, and our decisions to participate are a reflection of our values and needs.  When we consider the commitment to religious engagement, perhaps we should consider what we need instead of what we want. If we need the sustenance of our community, then we go to church.  If we need to stretch past the places where we stop, then we go to church.  If we need to deepen our relationships with others, if we need to find and create meaning in our lives, if we need to feed our souls, then we go to church.  If we want entertainment, then we go to the movies.

In faith,
Rebecca