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Ben and I are spending this Thanksgiving with the Florida Lamperts. We are staying with Ben’s mom, Barbara, the matriarch of the family, who celebrated her 91st birthday in September. We will spend tomorrow at his sister Sarah’s house as we join with niece and nephews, great nieces and great nephews, brothers and sisters, in-laws and extended family that we are not related to, but are still part of the large and growing family. I became a Lampert when I married into the family in 1977 at Forest Lake United Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (I had to work in a Roll Tide!). When I joined the Lamperts, I brought with me the Firth family and all that I had learned and experienced being raised with love in that household.
I talk a lot about The Downtown Church being a family. We come together from a variety of life experiences. We are of all ages. We come from families of origin that may or may not have raised us well. We come with the blessings and burdens of the past that formed us into the people we are today. We bring different views and perspectives that have shaped our understanding of God and what it means to live a life of purpose.
And this is the important thing: We come together. We bring all that we are and all that we hope to be before the Lord in worship. We are woven together not by genetics but by the Holy Spirit that moves and breathes between us and reminds us that we are all children of the same God. Together we seek to understand what it means to be disciples of Jesus Christ in this crazy chaotic world. We break bread together at the Lord’s table where all are welcome.
As you celebrate Thanksgiving, in whatever way it happens, please know there is a family called The Downtown Church that will be eager and thankful to see you Sunday. You enter into this family simply by walking in the door or tuning in online. No prerequisites. No requirements. Just love for you, as you are already family. I can’t wait to see you.
With gratitude for The Downtown Church family,
Lori
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