Beloved St. Johners, 

In 2020, shortly after the killing of George Floyd, country music artist Garth Brooks released a song, We Belong to Each Other. Here are the lyrics: 

———–

Ain’t no wall can divide us, no matter how high
Ain’t no storm can untie us, for all it may try
We’re all leaves on the same tree, under one sky
Don’t let nobody tell you otherwise

We belong to each other
We are sister and brother
Born to love one another

It’s whispered by the wind to all living things 
It’s in every sunrise, it’s what the wild bird sings
It shines in newborn eyes and faces lined and worn
It’s the tie that binds us all, and it won’t be torn

We belong to each other
We are sister and brother
Born to love one another

We are ancient stars turned flesh and bone
We’re all travelers on the bus ride home
Yeah, we laugh and we cry, we rise and we fall
Yeah, we fuss and we fight, but through it all

We belong to each other
We are sister and brother
Born to love one another

We’re all leaves on the same tree
Waves in the same sea
You and me, we belong to each other

—-

These lyrics were written by Stephanie Davis, but the phrase “We belong to each other” can be found in writings across cultures. One ancient source is the Christian scriptures. In the Letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul wrote “though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other.” He uses the metaphor of the body, pointing out that one body part cannot say it doesn’t need another part. 

I think this is a central element of belonging: knowing that we are needed, knowing that we matter to the whole. A friend of mine once told me about how she visited a church and, on her second morning there, she was asked to help out during the fellowship time after the service. I think many of us might be hesitant to ask a visitor to do work. But my friend tells me this was deeply meaningful to her. She was not treated as an outsider but was immediately welcomed as one who already belonged, one who had a place there – a real role in the life of the congregation – and it was why she continued attending that church. 

How do we at St John’s let people know that they have a real role here? How do we communicate through our actions, not just our words, that we belong to each other?

Blessings, 

Rev. Jenn