I used to belong. But not anymore.
Abbotsford Christian School? I graduated nearly 20 years ago and don’t belong to that community anymore.
The King’s University College rez? I moved out in 1998.
The city of Abbotsford? I haven’t been a citizen since 2003 and don’t even live in the province anymore.
The Acts Bible study group at Smithville CRC? I don’t even know if the same group of people are still meeting.
The Bulkley Valley Ministerial Association? The last meeting I attended was over a year ago.
I used to belong in these places and to these groups. But as time moves on, I leave some places and find find myself belonging elsewhere. Where I belong today might be a happy memory tomorrow.
This is true for just about everything except one: I will forever belong to Jesus. He has made me part of the Father’s family. And that status can never change.
In a world where belonging has become elusive, in a world where kids cry when their friend has a sleepover and doesn’t invite them, in a world where Millennials can expect to hold 15-20 jobs over the course of their working lives, in a world where families are torn apart by divorce, in a world where church membership and recordkeeping sound like relics from the past, it is indeed Good News to hear there’s a place where I belong for good. Jesus does not abandon me. Jesus does not lose interest in me. Jesus does not replace me. Jesus does not forget about me.
This is the foundation on which the beloved Heidelberg Catechism is built. It’s celebrating its 450th birthday this year. I’m looking forward to upcoming worship services at Trinity CRC where we’ll be commemorating this milestone.
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Q. What is your only comfort in life and in death?
A. That I am not my own,
— but belong –
— — body and soul, in life and in death –
— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
He has fully paid for all my sins
— with his precious blood,
— — and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
— that not a hair can fall from my head
— — without the will of my Father in heaven;
— in fact, all things must work together
— — for my salvation.
— — — — — — (Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 1)
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4th Point 
[…] Speaking of belonging, there’s a song I’ve been listening to over and over lately: “Remind Me Who I Am” by Jason Gray. I love how he prays for God to tell him again “who I am to you.” That’s a good prayer for me, too, because I am easily distracted. I believe to the wrong messages about myself. Sin trips me up more than I care to admit even to myself. So I need the reminder, as Jason Gray ends the chorus, that “I belong to You.” My heavenly Father counts me among His beloved children. […]
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