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The sparrow has found her a house
and the swallow a nest where she may lay her young;
by the side of your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God.

Happy are they who dwell in your house!
they will always be praising you.

-Psalm 84:2-3

When I was in southern France this summer, I stayed in a medieval village near the Pyrenees mountains. Every evening, the sky was filled with swallows, gracefully swooping and singing. They were so uniquely beautiful. I thought of them as I read this psalm, liking the idea of having a church so open that beautiful birds could fly right through and build their homes near the altar. I imagine the bird song choir - always praising God in voice and flight.

What does it mean to find a church home? People will often church shop when they move to a new community, and usually they know right away when they’ve found their new church home. Is it the people? The sermon? The activities and ministries of the church? The building? While many factors go into someone feeling at home in a church, I believe that God is calling us to be where we need to be.

I am so grateful for everyone who has made St. James their church home, whether they’ve been attending for generations or came for the first time just last Sunday. God has been calling together an amazing community at St. James for over 150 years. It is a community in which so many people of faith have found consolation, companionship, challenge, accountability and ever deepening and faithful relationships with one another and with God. I am looking forward to our annual Consecration Sunday this weekend - a day we celebrate our church home and our collective commitment to it.

Maybe when you were little, you did that thing with your hands and fingers, saying, “Here is the church, here is the steeple, open the door, see all the people!” The church - the body of Christ - is the people, and their commitment to being a church together. Thank you for blessing the St. James community with your presence, your ministry and your gifts.

The readings for this Sunday are HERE. Note that in ordinary time, we are using the readings in “Track 2”