Welcome to the new year!

I find that January is one of the most difficult months of the year, because of all of its implied new beginnings and resolutions and obligations that we seem to put on ourselves.

But I do find that, after the hubbub of the December holidays, it is somewhat of a relief to come back to “normal” church, to gathering in religious community to better ourselves and the world, and that January is just as good a time as any to rededicate oneself to engaging in such work. So, today I bring you an essay by Doug Muder from September, where he talks about what it means to belong to a church community, and to engage fully in it.

Doug is a member of First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Bedford, Massachusetts, writes for UUWorld Magazine, and blogs at DailyKos.com as Pericles, as well as at Free and Responsible Search.

Reflections on the Beginning of Another Church Year

by Doug Muder

It seems like an odd thing to do, when you stop and think about it.

Why give up a weekend morning, make yourself and your family presentable, and go to church? Why join its committees and work on its projects? Don’t you have more urgent things to do with your time? Why contribute money that you surely could apply to some other purpose, money that you could put aside towards (say) a nice vacation or use to pay down that worrisome balance on your credit card?

Why church?

(Read on … )