The Safety Latch

 Sacraments in my church are not supposed to be for feelings of safety, comfort, and warm fuzzy feelings, though they can be that immediately after receiving them, such as Holy Communion.  Many people go back daily to recapture that comfort feeling of Presence.  But Sacraments are meant to unlatch the safety lock as Adrienne von Spier would say.  Sacraments are meant for energy in daily life that can make you a bit of an outlier, an inconvenience to friends and coworkers.  How so?  You are walking along with a companion on the way to an event, a coffee and treat get together, or an event of shopping for some items. You see a beggar on the street. Instead of ignoring that person, or simply dropping money into a hat or guitar case, you stop and say hello, and ask how they are doing.  You might even give your first name and ask theirs.  You treat them in some way that says they matter in a world of shoppers, appointment keepers, workers, to whom they do not matter.  Your companion is inconvenienced and judges you as being silly or wasting their precious time.  Or maybe when you get to your place of eating and drinking, you pause, and say a quiet thank you for what you have, knowing many do not have what you have.  Your pause gives embarrassment to your eating companions.  You are an inconvenience.  Sacraments can do that.  They can become discomforting in the world outside your church building.