Sunday Bliss
After an emotional week of classes and fervent prayers for Blake and his family, it felt good to have a nice, quiet day to unwind a bit. Especially considering all that's coming up this week.
I ended up going back to FBC this morning. I'm so glad I did. First of all, the selected anthem for the choir was "On Eagle's Wings." A beautiful piece that describes how much we need to "dwell in the shelter of the Lord" day by day. God is our refuge, the only true, lasting source of peace there is. So I was glad to join the choir singing it.
We had a celebration of baptism scheduled for the service this morning. But apparantly, the two being baptized were late getting to the changing rooms, and so Pastor Randy had to go out into the pool and keep things going until they were ready. Not a problem, though. He simply asked Mr. Kirby to lead the congregation in worship, and so we sang a few hymns until the "baptizees" (for lack of a better term) came out and joined Randy. I felt it was a really cool example of how there needs to be a spontaneous nature in church services. I'm not saying they should dump the bulletins and wing it from here on out (although that would be cool to see happen at least once). But at any time, God might decide to deviate us from our normal, comfortable routine. Even in a worship service things don't always go according to plan. And to be honest, I prefer it that way. Think about it like this. Who are we to tie down the Holy Spirit with rigid, regulated services timed to the precise minute? God is all about shaking us loose from our comforts and throwing us into situations we don't expect. I occasionally wonder what some of our church-goers would do if, by some freak incident, the electricity in the Sanctuary went out. Or the keyboard fell to pieces. Or if (though this is stretching it) someone broke into the church and robbed all the pew hymnals?
All of those hypothetical scenarios are small potatoes compared to the "daily life" of the early church. They dealt with the persecution and ridicule of a government bent on stopping the spread of God's truth by whatever means necessary. Leaders like Peter and Paul were tried, beaten, and jailed for their role in the expansion of the church. Yet none of that could sway them from their mission. They knew their calling and strength rested in a Savior that the authorities and religious experts couldn't even fathom. Just think. A church of believers coming together with the full knowledge that they may not see each other the following night. These were "typical" conditions for them!
That's something we'd do well to think about in our churches today. Again, I'm not saying structure is a bad thing or criticizing any church that plans like that. But the fact is, the Holy Spirit can not be placed on a church bulletin. There's no planning when, how, or in what way it will show up. God doesn't work according to our rules or our schedules. He's nonsensical that way. But that's the trick. Are we willing to lay ourselves at Christ's feet outside our carefully-planned agendas, or do we only do so half-heartedly or whenever it's convenient? Do we need to get tossed about before we choose to rest in the hands of God? I know I've been tossed; several times, in fact.
Anyway, the rest of the service was great, and I was glad to be back at FBC again. As a pleasant bonus, I got to go to lunch with Anna Kate, a friend I made working with children over the summer, and her family. We went to Coach House and had an awesome time! She helps teach children at Wren Elementary, and they love her. :)
I returned to Furman soon after that, caught up on some e-mails, had a nice workout at the PAC, went to praise team practice in the music building, and then had a nice, long conversation with my Mom. All in all, a nice, quiet day. Enjoy those when they come along; that's my advice. Goodnight and God bless!
Song of the Day: Amy Grant - "Simple Things"
Verse of the Day: “ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ”- Phillipians 2:3-4
I ended up going back to FBC this morning. I'm so glad I did. First of all, the selected anthem for the choir was "On Eagle's Wings." A beautiful piece that describes how much we need to "dwell in the shelter of the Lord" day by day. God is our refuge, the only true, lasting source of peace there is. So I was glad to join the choir singing it.
We had a celebration of baptism scheduled for the service this morning. But apparantly, the two being baptized were late getting to the changing rooms, and so Pastor Randy had to go out into the pool and keep things going until they were ready. Not a problem, though. He simply asked Mr. Kirby to lead the congregation in worship, and so we sang a few hymns until the "baptizees" (for lack of a better term) came out and joined Randy. I felt it was a really cool example of how there needs to be a spontaneous nature in church services. I'm not saying they should dump the bulletins and wing it from here on out (although that would be cool to see happen at least once). But at any time, God might decide to deviate us from our normal, comfortable routine. Even in a worship service things don't always go according to plan. And to be honest, I prefer it that way. Think about it like this. Who are we to tie down the Holy Spirit with rigid, regulated services timed to the precise minute? God is all about shaking us loose from our comforts and throwing us into situations we don't expect. I occasionally wonder what some of our church-goers would do if, by some freak incident, the electricity in the Sanctuary went out. Or the keyboard fell to pieces. Or if (though this is stretching it) someone broke into the church and robbed all the pew hymnals?
All of those hypothetical scenarios are small potatoes compared to the "daily life" of the early church. They dealt with the persecution and ridicule of a government bent on stopping the spread of God's truth by whatever means necessary. Leaders like Peter and Paul were tried, beaten, and jailed for their role in the expansion of the church. Yet none of that could sway them from their mission. They knew their calling and strength rested in a Savior that the authorities and religious experts couldn't even fathom. Just think. A church of believers coming together with the full knowledge that they may not see each other the following night. These were "typical" conditions for them!
That's something we'd do well to think about in our churches today. Again, I'm not saying structure is a bad thing or criticizing any church that plans like that. But the fact is, the Holy Spirit can not be placed on a church bulletin. There's no planning when, how, or in what way it will show up. God doesn't work according to our rules or our schedules. He's nonsensical that way. But that's the trick. Are we willing to lay ourselves at Christ's feet outside our carefully-planned agendas, or do we only do so half-heartedly or whenever it's convenient? Do we need to get tossed about before we choose to rest in the hands of God? I know I've been tossed; several times, in fact.
Anyway, the rest of the service was great, and I was glad to be back at FBC again. As a pleasant bonus, I got to go to lunch with Anna Kate, a friend I made working with children over the summer, and her family. We went to Coach House and had an awesome time! She helps teach children at Wren Elementary, and they love her. :)
I returned to Furman soon after that, caught up on some e-mails, had a nice workout at the PAC, went to praise team practice in the music building, and then had a nice, long conversation with my Mom. All in all, a nice, quiet day. Enjoy those when they come along; that's my advice. Goodnight and God bless!
Song of the Day: Amy Grant - "Simple Things"
Verse of the Day: “ Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. ”- Phillipians 2:3-4
posted by david @ 7:45 PM
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