Love Feast

To wrap up our church retreat we decided to have a Wesleyan Love Feast today instead of Holy Communion. Since no one on the retreat had done a Love Feast before I wasn’t sure how this would go over, especially the part where we share with one another our experiences of God’s love. The participants had been sharing in their small groups (squadrons) during the weekend, but now we were all in one group, one big circle.

Needless worry. No all shared, but many did. Soon all eyes were moist as young and old alike stood to tell about their experiences of God’s presence. Some shared thanksgivings and new folks told how they felt welcomed into the “family of God.” In this setting the love feast was the right service that opened us up to a powerful, shared spiritual experience. I guess we just had a different kind of holy communion today.

Living Christmas Story

Once again the Trinity congregation has come together to present the Living Christmas Story. It is truly amazing all the different areas that have to be prepared - sets, costumes, casting, animals, meals, traffic and city coordination, advertising, CD production, and who knows what else - and then it all seems to come together on the day the TLC begins.

It wasn't really cold last night until the wind got up, but if we have similar weather for the next couple of nights, that will be just fine. Last night I played Herod, one of the few speaking parts. The scene is the wise men coming before Herod asking where they will find the newborn king. Their backs are to the traffic, but Herod can see when there's a gap in the line. The last half hour of the second shift the traffic was light, so it was a great time to leave the script and stump the wise men by asking things like, "Did your star tell you that Herod is the only king in Judea, and all pretenders will be killed?" or "What gift is that you have brought to King Herod?" Yea, it may be juvenile, but at the end of a cold couple of hours, it was fun.

.

Tailgate Sunday 2008

.

Had a great day for our annual Tailgate Sunday. Maybe a little windy, but otherwise excellent weather. There's always a few of our older members who just don't care for the outside casual worship, but on the other hand, we always have several visitors. And as usual, there was plenty of food at all the tents.

The D.O.C.K Rocks!

Wow, Sunday went so well. The D.O.C.K. program went off without a hitch, and we had an excellent turnout of members and visitors to participate. The church was full for worship and the energy level was high. I am so proud for all those who have hustled over the past few weeks to get all the details taken care of. The first presentation of the DOCK was an event that obviously connected with the intended audience, elementary age children and their parents, meaning their ideas and work were on target.

I realize this could sound like I'm boasting about the church today, but I really mean it as celebration. There are enough times when we bemoan the fact that things don't go as we hoped, or people don't respond, or volunteers don't come through on commitments. So, when it all comes together so well, I think you should pause and say "thanks be to God!" There's more hard work to do, but for now I'll keep my dancing shoes on, and celebrate.