Feeling at Home

A couple weeks ago we were staying in my hometown of Dundas, Ontario. It has taken me awhile to sort out my emotions with this return after almost 8 years. 

My parents no longer live there and as such there is no access to the house I grew up in (pictured). My friend still lives across the street and it was fun to connect with him so I did see the house. 

While I grew up there and saw the house of my childhood, I have not totally felt at home. The streets and laneways are filled with childhood memories and yet it feels like I no longer have a place there. The real estate prices have skyrocketed, stop signs and bike lanes have been added everywhere and affluence has soared so that we couldn’t live there even if we wanted to. 

And that has been unsettling. The place that so deeply shaped my life has changed significantly and the fact that I can only return as a visitor is unsettling. It’s like I lost the right to call it my home town. 

…

The week after that we were in Leslie’s home town of Rochester, Indiana (pictured). Unlike Dundas, I enjoy coming to this place because it hasn’t changed. People haven’t become extremely affluent and housing prices aren’t out of reach. Stop signs haven’t moved. Technically there are little differences between visits but for the most part things stay the same. There’s something comfortable about that. It’s not my hometown but I find I can often relax well there because I know what to expect. 

As I reflected on these differences I came to realize that there are times when the church can make us feel similar things. 

I can long for the familiar service elements and hymns, things done the way that I learned, the ways that shaped me. I naturally like, prefer and take comfort in those ways. I don’t think about the whys, I just like how when I experience these elements in the church it feels “right.”

There are other times when a church congregation does things in a way that we are not accustomed to, perhaps we didn’t grow up with and it’s easy to feel unsettled and maybe even a bit resentful because we feel like we don’t have a place anymore. It’s easy to resist changes that didn’t shape us and that we are not fond of. 

And yet, as I thought about the change in Dundas I realized that much of it was likely necessary. More people and cars require different accommodations for traffic. There are likely reasons I hadn’t considered behind many of the changes. 

While I miss the feel of the familiar, growth and new life require change. Nostalgia cannot lead us into the future. 

My prayer is that both you and I will be ready to let go the things God calls us to let go of in order to follow His lead into new life. That we would hold on to what is useful and meaningful in our traditions. And most of all, that we would have grace for one another as we navigate this journey, knowing that change can be both unsettling and necessary. 

To God be the glory!

Pastor Nathan