I have this memory as a child of going to the mall with my family. It always seemed like a big deal when we went to the mall because we lived very simply, and plus the closest mall was an hour away from our small town. But when we went, it seemed to always be on a Sunday after church in our Sunday’s best.

After lunch in the food court, we would all split up to go to our favorite stores. This was before the common use of cell phones, so when you wanted to find someone, you had to make an educated guess based on store preference. I love that we always knew where to find my dad. He was almost always at Walden’s bookstore, which I think says a lot about him and his love for reading and thoughtfulness. But If he wasn’t at the bookstore, he was either at Service Merchandise or at the Hallmark store browsing the card section.

To this day, I love the thought of my dad, waiting patiently for all us girls, in his go-to stores. But what really stands out to me as I ponder this memory is the realization that even though I generally knew where to find my dad, I really have no idea what exactly he was doing in those stores. What was he reading? Which section was his favorite? What was he looking for as he browsed the aisles of Service Merchandise? Why did he enjoy buying cards for hypothetical situations? And why didn’t I ever pay attention or ask? Why did I instead choose to just go through the motions?

Likewise, in the Church, there’s a real problem with just going through the motions.  There’s a constant temptation to do things without knowing their purpose, to belief things without really knowing why we believe them, to accept things without appreciating the rich history of tradition.

I love this church because, at Grace, we go deep. We seek to know the purpose behind ancient and contemporary Christian practices so that we can be more intentional in our use of them. We question things; not because we are dissatisfied or difficult, but because we want to know God more, and we believe that the freedom to question and think deeply ultimately brings us closer into his presence.

So, like a child grown up, standing before her father in awe of all his quirky mystery, I invite you today to stand before our heavenly Father in both awe and wonder. Reach out to him, lean into him, let your questions rise up and don’t suppress them. Though we risk never finding the answers we are searching for, we will seek them out together nonetheless.

Aurelia Davila Pratt is the Pastor of Spiritual Formation and one of the Teaching Pastors at Grace Baptist Church.