As I mentioned at the top of the service, today we are celebrating Rally Day.
The term “Rally Day” is a term that many churches use for their first day back after the summer. Some churches call it “Homecoming Sunday.”
The word “rally” means: “to come together for a shared purpose.”
So, think of a sports rally or a political rally or a pep rally. It’s time to “rally the troops,” to gather people together to boost spirits and to inspire one another to work towards a shared goal.
Today, we are coming back together as a spiritual family with the shared goal of loving God and one another.
As Neville read in our “Words of Integration & Guidance” this morning, our theme for Rally Day is “There’s No Place Like Home.”
And, of course, we know that line comes from us from “The Wizard of Oz.”
Now, the man who wrote “The Wizard of Oz,” L. Frank Baum, was a very spiritual person, and “The Wizard of Oz” is actually a very spiritual story.
The journey along the Yellow Brick Road symbolizes our spiritual journey.
On our spiritual journey, we are seeking the things that Dorothy and her friends are seeking: wisdom, courage, love, and home.
What do you think of when you think of the word “home”?
Well, in the Broadway musical version of “The Wizard of Oz,” (“The Wiz”) there is a song called “Home,” in which Dorothy sings:
“When I think of home, I think of a place where there is love overflowing.”
This place – the United Church of Rowayton – is our spiritual home… a place where we find wisdom, courage, and love overflowing.
We call this space “the sanctuary” – a word that means “safe haven.”
And, that is what “church” should be for people…a refuge from the storms in our lives…a reminder of God’s love, protection, and grace.
Many of you know that this church was built in 1962 by the award-winning architect, Joseph Salerno.
And before he designed the church, he decided to spend time getting to know our Founding Pastor, Don Emig and the congregation and the community of Rowayton.
He began attending Sunday morning worship, and he noticed that there was something different (some special) about the congregation and the Rowayton community.
In a 1961 interview, he said that as he began to know and understand the people here, his design for the new church began to take shape.
He recognized a warm, friendly, family-like relationship in the congregation and, so, he didn’t want to build a traditional house of worship…with people looking straight ahead, staring at the backs of one another’s heads.
Instead, he designed this beautiful sanctuary in the round, one that would allow for the congregation to be sitting close together and (in his words) “within smiling distance” of the pastor and one another.
And, he designed the unique curved and spiral roof to draw us ever upward, to lift up our vision, and to remind us of the movement of the Spirit.
The Spirit is at work here, my friends. God’s grace is upon us each and every time we gather together here in our spiritual home.
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells the disciples to abide in him…to make our home with him…to stay connected to him.
Just like the vine branches stay connected to the vine!
Just as the nutrients and the life-force of the main vine flow into each of the branches, the power and presence of God flows into each one of us…but only if we stay connected.
It’s why Jesus says in today’s Gospel: “Just as a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in God.”
These past 75 years, the United Church of Rowayton has born much fruit, because we have stayed connected to God and to one another.
That’s what makes this church so special. Joseph Salerno recognized it more than 60 years ago, and we are witness to it today: we are a family. A Family of Faith.
This is a church in which we say: “All are welcome. No exceptions.”
You know, that’s not the case in every Christian church in Fairfield County.
When we say “All are welcome here,” we really mean it.
We are called to be a welcoming presence in the community…to show God’s unconditional love to everyone who enters these doors.
There are people here in our community-at-large whom we have not met yet…people who seeking a spiritual home, where they can be themselves, where they can grow in faith, and where they can experience hope and love.
And, so, my friends, as we begin a new church programming year together, may we roll out the “Welcome Mat” and prepare a place at the table for them and invite them into our Family of Faith.
I’m so excited to see all the amazing things that God has in store for us this upcoming church year.
If we stay connected to God and to one another, we will continue to bear much fruit.
So, welcome back. And, welcome home.
Here are three following up questions for reflection and/or journal writing:
- When you think of the United Church of Rowayton as your spiritual home, what is it about this community that makes you feel welcomed, connected, and loved?
- Jesus reminds us that a branch can bear fruit only when it remains connected to the vine. What helps you stay connected to God and to this Family of Faith—and where might you need to reconnect?
- There are people in our community who may still be searching for a spiritual home. What can each of us do, individually and together, to “roll out the Welcome Mat” and help someone else experience the love, hope, and belonging we have found here?