The Gathering of the Body

Growing up, I spent every Sunday and almost every Wednesday on the campus of a charismatic Protestant church. That church had it all, the flashing stage lights, the band, the praise team, and all the new hits from Hillsong. I loved and still love that church and the people that populate it. To say, though, that the place in which I currently spend my Sundays and the place in which I spend my Tuesday evenings are different would be a bit of an understatement.

     As a child, and later as a teenager, I had never been exposed to any kind of Christian liturgy. My first experience was during fall retreat with the Wesley Foundation my freshman year. Before then, I had never been to the Well, the Wesley’s Tuesday night services, so I wasn’t expecting an entire chapel’s worth of people to speak in unison the words, “Thanks be to God.” It was a little startling at first, but as service went on and the instance didn’t repeat itself, I calmed down. Then came communion. In the church I had grown up in, communion was a thing sparsely done and with little ceremony aside from the reciting of Matthew 26: 26-28. Then, little Church of God girl that I am, I went and had communion with a bunch of Methodists.

     The moment everyone began reciting the words, “Most merciful God, we confess . . .” I looked around frantically in utter confusion and mild terror. How did they know the words? Had all these people grown up Methodist, and I was the only odd ball here who didn’t know the words to this cult-like communal confession?

     About that moment I saw the PowerPoint.

     I will be honest that I felt like an idiot for a second before beginning to read along. Afterwards, I started thinking about the unusual ritual that had surrounded communion that Saturday evening at fall retreat. I didn’t know what to make out of it, and I didn’t form much of an opinion on the subject until I had attended a quarter’s worth of the Well.

     After becoming so deeply entrenched in the Tuesday night services and the taking of communion alongside liturgy, I realized that I had found something my home church had never offered to me. The liturgy gave me the opportunity to feel unified in a way that simply showing up at church and saying “Hi, how are you?” to my fellow congregants never could.

     Being a part of the Wesley community and engaging in both the Well and Friday morning Eucharist has brought to me a greater understanding of what Jesus meant when he said the words, “For where two or three gather together in my name, there am I with them.” There is truly nothing else like gathering with your brothers and sisters as one, speaking to your Lord and Savior as one, and feeling the presence of your God among you. It is an experience I never want to give up.

About the Author:

Gracie is a junior English Major at Louisiana Tech University. She got involved with the Wesley foundation her freshman year and has been an active member ever since. She loves Japanese culture, learning new languages, and writing.