“Where you at?” A phrase used in common slang it’s a question seeking someone’s physical location or someone’s position on an issue. It’s the first question put to every human beginning from God (Genesis 3:9). The Lord God called to the man and the woman and said to them, “Where are you?” They were hiding from God. We still do the same thing today in so many ways.

We’ve eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and we believe we know better than God. We use our knowledge to believe the church is no longer good and filled with evil. The Pew Research Center on Religion study shows from 2007 to 2023 U.S. adults who affiliate as Christian has gone down from 78% to 62%, and for adults “Nones,” those who are Religiously unaffiliated, has gone up from 16% to 29%.

These numbers are reflective of what’s been going on in the church over many years. For example: People who have been church hurt? They have been disgusted/hurt by the history of abuses toward women, children and finances. Turned off by politics in the church and the mistrust of clergy; ministers, priests, rabbis, Imams, etc. But, now is not the time to throw out the baby with the bath water. Especially when it’s the baby Jesus.

Where are you right now in your relationship with God? With the Church? With your community? With your family?

There are so many reasons why a church can turn you off. But you only need one reason that makes all the difference to join a church. That reason is a working relationship with God in Jesus the Christ. With the recent season of Lent, now is a great time to move toward a working relationship with God.

Everyone should know that we already have a relationship with God our Creator. Just as God came looking for Adam and Eve each day for an afternoon walk. God seeks the same with each of us. So, the period of Lent, from Ash Wednesday through Holy Week ending with Easter, is a time for an about face to return to our church homes and begin rebuilding our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Our church home is not meant to be perfect; it’s meant to be possible. Filled with faith for all the impossibilities and the possibilities of God, with whom all things are possible. A home where we can discover where we’re at in feeding the hungry, serving the poor, healing the sick, supporting the current and formerly incarcerated, having a relationship with all of life, both animals and plants, where we are caring for every rock and dirt we live on, and each ounce of water we drink and enjoy.

God is always looking for us to be looking for Him and His goodness which can be found in all these things. For us to be living in relationship with Him. God wants to know – where you at?

“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” Genesis 3:9 NIV

By REV. GEORGE P. LANIER, M.DIV., SENIOR PASTOR AT HAMPTON UNITED METHODIST CHURCH