We gather because Christ gathers us. He said to the people of Jerusalem: "How often would I have gathered you in as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you would not" (Luke 13.34). Often, on a Sunday morning, we may feel a similar reluctance; even thinking of Jesus as a big warm chicken may not be enough to lure us from our nice warm bed. We gather in our local congregation because we are willing to be gathered into the community of faith, which stretches across time and space, from Abraham our father in faith, to the latest baby to be baptized. Faith is the beginning of our acceptance of friendship with God, learning to look at the world lovingly, with gratitude, delighting in its intelligibility. - Timothy Radcliffe, Why Go to Church?