I struggle with my spiritual life. I do not find it easy to remain connected to God in Jesus Christ. But one thing I have learned is that I find it easier to maintain a relationship with God when I am part of a Christian community,           especially a close and vibrant one. It helps to have others to talk about spiritual things, it helps to share the insights from scripture with others and to hear how God is speaking to them in their spiritual lives.  

When I am on holiday, I am really disappointed if I cannot be in public worship on a Sunday. When I was in my teens, before I even experienced my call to ministry, I made a commitment to be in public worship on Sundays. I have probably missed church less than one Sunday a year over the last sixty years: of course, one could say that I have an occupational advantage. I enjoy going to other churches when I travel. Sometimes the churches are obviously holy places, by virtue of their age, the continuity of their worshiping community, by the obvious care and upkeep showing that some people experience the presence of God in the tasks of caring for the building. I have sat and prayed in a national cathedral distracted by noisy tourists and after a struggle to pray, have suddenly felt the holiness of that place. What is so powerful is the fact that these are places where people gather to share and pray together.  

But most of all, it is where I live, where I worship with friends and those who share the journey with me, that I find the resources I need to stay in contact with God. The presence of God in others touches me, encourages me and, to use an up-to-date metaphor, recharges my power pack. It is easier to be a Christian in a Christian community. I pray for those Christians who live in non-Christian parts of the world. And I pray for those who struggle to live as Christians in our increasingly secular society without belonging to a Christian community.  

Blessings,  

DJL  

Canon Donald J Lawton   

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