ASA
As I sit down to write this brief note on my
assigned topic of summer church attendance (see the accompanying
graph—enough said on that subject), I keep thinking back to this past
Sunday’s 10:30 worship service. During that service we were treated to
special performances by not just one but two children’s choirs. Under the
direction of Jeanne Lagrone (the younger choir) and Rachel Alexander and
Megan Ewing (the older choir) (thank you ladies!), the children’s angelic
voices filled the Nave as parents, grandparents, friends and visitors
watched with pride and admiration. So wonderful were their performances that
the children were thanked with spontaneous applause at the conclusion of
each song. For me, the spontaneous applause is a metaphor that will stay
with me in the coming days.
What do I mean? We come together as a community of faith each Sunday to
participate in a rite of praise and thanksgiving. When our liturgy works
(and I promise you it works every Sunday on so many different levels), we
are not only nurtured, fed and made ready to meet the challenges of the
coming days but we feel liberated by God’s saving and unmerited grace to the
point of bursting into spontaneous and joyous applause!
Be present in your church each and every Sunday, even in the summer, so you
too can respond to God with liberating applause.
Peace,
Paul+
