A Beautiful Belonging
By Carie Mendoza
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
Galatians 3:28
The text came totally unexpectedly. I had to read it twice. Did my friend Nikki just invite me to LONDON?! A flat to stay in, a chance to see a place I’d never been, and time to cultivate a friendship with someone I care for and admire. Could I go? I’d never been anywhere. Thoughts of logistics, budgets, and schedules were the first to push through. But my body felt different. There was an internal buzzing–I felt excited! How could I NOT go?
I’ve always found the hope and joy of Christ in the relationships of belonging–connection, wisdom, generosity, trust, and love. Life’s experiences have caused me to keep my circle of trust tight. Nikki’s text was a catalyst for widening the circle. Whispers of relational belonging, I suspect from the Holy Spirit, returned as God gifted me this travel opportunity through the generosity of a friend, and there was an undeniable knowing that I just had to go.
The invitation to London came a year after my father's death. While national and world events broke my heart, my mom was struggling with her health, and my sister-in-law passed away unexpectedly. I didn’t feel a lot of hope or belonging to God. I didn’t not want to find God in any of it, but I was sad and angry.
Yet during that season, all I talked about during therapy, the topic of every podcast I listened to, and all I could think about during “me” time was “how could I belong to God in all of this?” The hope in Jesus as my savior and redeemer never left me, but I was still wrecked. It felt like I was having an existential crisis. (As an Enneagram 5, philosophy major–with a dad who was a philosophy professor–when is life not an existential crisis! Ha ha!) Looking back, there are parts about that year I don’t remember, but there is one experience I’ll never forget.
We planned to attend two church services while in London. Nikki knew one at Holy Trinity, Brompton. As I sat in the service, I was awe-struck by the kaleidoscope of worshippers before me. There were people from every corner of the globe, united in song, prayer, and devotion. I was seeing a picture of something my heart and mind knew was of God. It was that sense of belonging to Him.
I felt a truth I’d never witnessed so vividly, but have known in my bones: the Kingdom of God is not limited by nationality, culture, or tradition. Every voice, every style of worship, every prayer was celebrated in the fullness of God’s love. My faith has always been rooted in knowing this one truth of Christ: WE ALL BELONG in God’s Kingdom! By belonging to each other, I, we belong to Jesus! The diversity of people was, is, and will never be a barrier but a blessing–a recognition of the creation, equality, and worth of every human being as a child of God.
Gosh! God sure knew what He was doing, guiding me into this service. It felt so personal for me –an Anglican service with contemporary worship! It was church heaven for the Catholic kid in me. It was the “ugly cry” kind of joy for my adult self, who feels passionately about including everyone. My experience at Holy Trinity, Brompton, affirmed and reminded me that the invitation of God’s love belongs to all.
We are called into a radical kind of love for one another. It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to create a sacred, safe space where acceptance and the beauty of our differences can come together in worship of Jesus. I now carry with me a renewed sense of hope and belonging to Christ. It encourages me to examine the people I need to invite into that beautiful belonging.
I’ve always found the hope and joy of Christ in the relationships of belonging–connection, wisdom, generosity, trust, and love. Life’s experiences have caused me to keep my circle of trust tight. Nikki’s text was a catalyst for widening the circle. Whispers of relational belonging, I suspect from the Holy Spirit, returned as God gifted me this travel opportunity through the generosity of a friend, and there was an undeniable knowing that I just had to go.
The invitation to London came a year after my father's death. While national and world events broke my heart, my mom was struggling with her health, and my sister-in-law passed away unexpectedly. I didn’t feel a lot of hope or belonging to God. I didn’t not want to find God in any of it, but I was sad and angry.
Yet during that season, all I talked about during therapy, the topic of every podcast I listened to, and all I could think about during “me” time was “how could I belong to God in all of this?” The hope in Jesus as my savior and redeemer never left me, but I was still wrecked. It felt like I was having an existential crisis. (As an Enneagram 5, philosophy major–with a dad who was a philosophy professor–when is life not an existential crisis! Ha ha!) Looking back, there are parts about that year I don’t remember, but there is one experience I’ll never forget.
We planned to attend two church services while in London. Nikki knew one at Holy Trinity, Brompton. As I sat in the service, I was awe-struck by the kaleidoscope of worshippers before me. There were people from every corner of the globe, united in song, prayer, and devotion. I was seeing a picture of something my heart and mind knew was of God. It was that sense of belonging to Him.
I felt a truth I’d never witnessed so vividly, but have known in my bones: the Kingdom of God is not limited by nationality, culture, or tradition. Every voice, every style of worship, every prayer was celebrated in the fullness of God’s love. My faith has always been rooted in knowing this one truth of Christ: WE ALL BELONG in God’s Kingdom! By belonging to each other, I, we belong to Jesus! The diversity of people was, is, and will never be a barrier but a blessing–a recognition of the creation, equality, and worth of every human being as a child of God.
Gosh! God sure knew what He was doing, guiding me into this service. It felt so personal for me –an Anglican service with contemporary worship! It was church heaven for the Catholic kid in me. It was the “ugly cry” kind of joy for my adult self, who feels passionately about including everyone. My experience at Holy Trinity, Brompton, affirmed and reminded me that the invitation of God’s love belongs to all.
We are called into a radical kind of love for one another. It is our responsibility as followers of Christ to create a sacred, safe space where acceptance and the beauty of our differences can come together in worship of Jesus. I now carry with me a renewed sense of hope and belonging to Christ. It encourages me to examine the people I need to invite into that beautiful belonging.
Reflective Question for the Day
What might you do differently this season and the next, to step into God’s calling to embrace all people,
alike and different, who God calls His friends and beloved?
Carie Mendoza spends mornings waking up early, drinking coffee, and planning her day. Talking with and singing to Jesus in the car on the way to work sets her intentions with her first-grade students. No holiday season would be complete without setting up decorations and blasting Amy Grant’s Christmas Album for her husband, Mark–haha! While she’s an introvert who loves her corner of the couch, Carie loves Christmas parties with friends and family, and decorating cookies with her now-grown-up kids.