If you weren't in church Sunday, you missed it. Too bad. Sunday was a joint worship service with our neighbors (tenants?), the good folks of Living Faith Church, who share our facilities. Pastor Larry Bullock gave the sermon--a real eye-opener for those of us used to tame, polite Lutheran worship. He even got us to shout out a few Amens! at the appropriate times.
It took a little work on his part. Being good Lutherans, we mumbled them at first, and looked around to make sure our neighbors weren't looking at us when we did it, but we got them out. The first one was the hardest. Can we really shout out an affirmation in the middle of the sermon? What if somebody hears? Somebody might think we're actually fired up by what we heard. Is that okay?
It was like the first time we all did the "passing of the peace." Remember that? Touching one another in church? In the middle of the service? Eww-w-w! Are Lutherans allowed to do that?
But you know what? It was fun.
The joint choir delivered a rousing anthem and we all actually got into the hymns. By the time the peace was passed, everybody was a bit more relaxed and enjoying the fellowship.
Naturally, being Lutherans, after we shared the Important Meal in the sanctuary, we had to go downstairs and have potluck. God forbid, somebody should go hungry!
They're not up yet, but before the week is out, there should be pictures of the event on the church Web site. Meanwhile, click here to see pictures of the Halloween event.
Sunday was a great event on so many levels. It was good to meet the neighbors and share fellowship with them. It was good to be jolted out of our worship routine. It was good to feel the spirit and joy of a gathering of the Body of Christ. I vote we do it again soon.
Meanwhile, talking about church behavior, I came across this while fooling on the Innerwebs. It's worth the five minutes or so it takes to watch this little clip that answers the question What if Starbucks Marketed Like a Church? I'm not saying Bethel people are guilty of the more overt sins shown here, but it's a good cautionary tale.
Finally, today is Veterans Day. Hug a vet. More important, write to your congresscritters and make sure they're doing their part to see that veterans get the care and support they need--not just a pat on the back every November 11.
I have to say that I really enjoyed the service Sunday with all the energy that I could feel in the room. It did take a few minutes to open up, but I knew we had it in us. I would love to see us do that again sometime. They seemed so appreciative that we opened our church to them, but I think that we are the ones who are blessed to have them at Bethel.
Posted by: Pam Lassila | November 11, 2008 at 06:53 PM