God Knows My Name

Seen. Heard. Known. However you put it, we humans long for relationships where we trust others to care about who we are, what we feel, and how we experience the world. We want to belong, and one of the key ways we create belonging is to search and know each other. Today’s psalm reading describes this process of creating belonging between God and us. I remember when I was growing up, I believed that God loved me because God had to love me, God is obligated to love me. As I grew up and studied more of the Bible, I slowly realized that God wants to love me. God searches and knows me—knows us—because God desires to love us and build belonging with us.

As you begin planning worship for this Sunday, consider what tools and traditions you have to create belonging in your congregation. What affirmation of faith carries a special meaning for your congregants? What song is known and loved by your community? What artwork was handcrafted by your members for use in worship? What ritual act (i.e., passing the peace, prayers of the people, etc.) is especially loved in your congregation? Whatever your answers might be, do them! Give them extra time or tell a story about why this song, prayer, or act is meaningful. Remind the congregation of their story together. These are all ways that recall and build on belonging in our churches.

Since this is the first Sunday of the month, consider how you will engage the sacrament of Holy Communion as a place where we create belonging with God and one another. Incorporate parts of Psalm 139 into the Communion liturgy. Talk about the United Methodist theology of Communion during the sermon. If your church has used or is planning to use Discipleship Ministries’ Belong resources in small groups, Sunday school, or other settings, consider how to highlight those opportunities during the service, particularly the resources on Holy Communion. Give the ritual space to breathe. Take your time at the Table to meet God and one another in the holy sharing of bread and cup. Make sure that anything you explain with words is then experienced and expressed in action during worship because belonging is not merely a mental exercise but a fully embodied searching, knowing, and embracing of love of God and neighbor.