4 - small community

#100happydays

day 4 (April 30)

I wasn't originally planning on going to church this evening.

Shortly after I moved down here back in August, I started attending the Wednesday worship service at St. Peter Lutheran.  It's a small service, with Taize-style music, a simple traditional format, a core group of consistent and semi-frequent attendees, and a laid-back feel.  It didn't take long before I started bringing my guitar and helping with music.

Once Lent hit, Wednesdays changed quite a bit, and the service grew in congregation size, music, and was preceded by a meal.  Last week, I think we all kind of forgot about the service, perhaps having been 'churched out' perhaps, after Holy Week.  I wasn't quite sure what would become of the service, now that our associate pastor has moved away (it was kind of his baby, though we held our own well while he was on leave before his wedding last fall).  This afternoon, however, I got some communication from one of the lay-coordinators, wanting to see if I could make it and lead the songs.
It made me quite pleased to know that I'd be adding worship to my evening to-do list.

There were only three of us at the start of the service tonight, joined by one more part way through.

We may be a small community,
but hey,
"where two or more are gathered, God is in the midst of them"

We sang a song.
We read liturgy.
[Cool shadows were cast on the pages of the hymnal - so cool that I took a picture.]
We passed the peace, which consisted of three hugs and covered the entire 'congregation.'
Instead of a traditional 'talk at you' kind of message, things evolved into a close-knit, informal discussion about Jonah.  It's a story I know and love, and it was nice to hear some new perspectives on it, forcing me to think in new ways.
We prayed.
We communed together.
We sang another song.
We were blessed.
We slowly departed, conversing as we left.

It is in this small community where I can lift up my friends and family in prayer, even though my church friends really don't know any of the people I'm praying for.

I can be utterly myself, sharing in faith and music simultaneously.  Don't get me wrong, I love my job as a public school teacher, but man, do I relish the times outside of my work context when I can express my faith directly.

I can re-center myself.  Wednesdays are typically one of my busiest school days.  It's exhausting and energy-sucking to teach seven completely different lessons in one day, including two middle school lessons and four lessons that I had not taught before on a previous day.  Going to our midweek service helps me get back on track and forces me to slow down, if only for an hour.

It is in this small part of the St. Peter family
that I can always find love, acceptance, and peace.