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During my time singing with the Valparaiso University Kantorei, I learned something I should have known already from the rituals of my friends, from weekly confirmation classes at my family’s congregation and from the relentless search for something that felt normal. I learned that at its core, faith is nurtured by consistency. Faith is fed by knowing that no matter what hardships, complications or changes come, there will be a place for you – a place at the Lord’s table that will always, always be home, whether you come to it or not.

I didn’t always come. There were weeks when I worked on homework instead of listening to the sermon and times when I stayed in the choir loft instead of going downstairs for communion. But there were other times when I did come. There were days when the hymns we sang in the choir mixed with the sunshine in the rafters, bringing me genuine joy. There were times when receiving communion reminded me of my family’s congregation at home, because it’s the same no matter where you go – the same body, the same blood.

This message is excerpted from “It’s complicated” by Abigail Accettura in the September 2020 Gather magazine. Today is the anniversary of the attack on the World Trade Center in New York City.