AfterWords | A Summer of Sending
AfterWords is a series of reflections by contributors as they share their personal experience of God in community at The Parish on Sundays.
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A short read
by Laura Boggs
Around The Parish we’ve adopted a saying: “What happens at the table is truer than the darkness outside.” This has been the case during our monthly house church, where we eat—and eat well—to God’s glory.
On Palm Sunday, The Parish’s nine house churches met for the last time before a summer pause. This past year at the Milton North location, together we’ve laughed, cried, prayed, broken bread, and shared a stomach virus (no, it was not potluck food poisoning). (Sometimes what happens at the table is, in fact, darker than the darkness outside.)
I was away at a retreat over the weekend, so I missed our gathering, which I hear was chock-full of people—and wonder. This is the letter I wrote to our members, read out loud by Luke. I offer it here. The artwork on the (hosts) Carriers’ chalkboard is by high school student Mia Jennings. (And her sister, Lynli, baked and brought bread and a key lime pie!)
“Here I am! Send me.” Isaiah 6:8
Dear Friends,
Though I am not with you today, you are in my heart. I am praying for each one of you by name—and by face—as I travel home this morning.
I hope this year’s gatherings have filled you with a sense of belonging and a reminder of the truest thing about you: your belovedness. Thank you, dear ones, not just for showing up at house church, but for the way you’ve shown up.
As we approach a seasonal pause, I want to gently suggest a summer of sending. Go in peace… and show up to the hurting world—to all the image bearers out there—like you’ve shown up here, brave and wholehearted and open-handed.
Here we are! Send us.
And within this little group, my prayer is that we draw nearer still. Before August, would you consider inviting someone to coffee? Or to share a meal? The more random and unexpected, the better! Try it—just once—and see how it feels. Then maybe do it again.
Let’s continue to pursue one another, to fling ourselves at friendship, to connect. Because in connection, we find out who we are and how much we already love God.
With love and gratitude,
Laura
Want to contribute to AfterWords? From poems to paintings to a child’s drawing in Parish Kids, we welcome voices from those who call the Parish home. To learn more, email info@parishanglican.org
