A tale of two gatherings

Sometimes I have an idea of something to write and it is a puzzle to me how anyone can get anything out of it…but here we are. Because often it is posts like this that speak to more people than I could have imagined.

This past week I was in two different gatherings with people that struck a chord in me about community and how things can draw us together with others.

The first was an impromptu trip to Springfield to watch the “Super Sectional” for boys’ basketball. One of our nearby high school teams was playing for a chance to go to State. This particular high school was the former nemesis of our children when they were in school sports. But years soften us, and we know and love some people who have connections to the school now, so we went to cheer them on.

There were two back to back games being played in the arena. We arrived during the last half of the first game and made our way to the upper section of a packed house. We decided our seats were perfectly fine for the next game, and from this vantage point we marveled as the various fan groups moved and changed places.

I snapped this photo as I thanked the good Lord we had arrived when we did and were safely above all that mass of people. If you don’t know, large crowds are not my thing, How it all transitioned so smoothly is beyond me, but it did prove that we can navigate through such things without lengthy directions and a lot of people in orange vests waving us along as if landing a plane.

It renewed my hope in humanity that we do have some common sense left.

The second group I shared some time and space with were just as passionate as the fans of the high school teams running up and down the court on Monday. And before you think it’s that cute mess in the photo above, it isn’t but it seemed to fit with the people getting along theme…

No, the other group I want to share about are passionate for Jesus.

On Wednesday, Russ and I attended the noon prayer time at our church. This started before Lent but has taken on the added bonus of focus on Forty Days of Prayer and Fasting.

We gathered together in the pews of our church and were led through a time of meditation, song and reflection. At one point, our pastor asked us to get in small groups of 3 or so and share how we have chosen to observe Lent and what we are learning.

Up to this point, we had been a quiet and reverent little band. But as we turned around to cluster in with those closest to us, we sounded more like the grade school lunch room before the attendants have to hold up the QUIET sign.

Chatter abounded and heads leaned in. As we all talked about what God was doing in us while we are making the effort to draw closer to Him, people were nodding and smiles were shared.

Eventually we were called back to order. It took a while, but finally our pastor had the floor once more and offered us the opportunity to come up and share any experiences. Suddenly we were as still as church mice.

Not a soul ventured up and it was a delightfully unanimous moment where we were obviously content to not take the microphone. It seemed a silent pact was made that each of our sharing was important but not the most important.

Our young pastor finally surrendered to the fact that no one was coming forward to give testimony and so we moved into a beautiful time of worship through song. As we finished, he asked us to consider staying as long as we had the time and to pray over the variety of garden lattice that was scattered throughout the sanctuary.

While I had noticed the unusual arrangement, I didn’t know the purpose for these bits of fencing that outlined the perimeter of the seating. We were not able to attend the service last week and while we listened on line later, we missed this part.

As a sermon series on mental health called “Weeds in My Garden” ended on Sunday with the theme of Hope, apparently the congregation had been invited to write on a flower sticker what one of their current “weeds” is and stick it on the garden fence among the large flowers that had been attached to represent a beautiful garden.

Adam asked us to choose some of the initialed stickers with words like “worry”, “anxiety”, “fear”, “addiction” and lay our hands on and pray for the one who had placed it there. Once again, crowd control was not needed as we rose and moved to empty places along the lattice.

The body of Christ reached out hands to touch stickers and bowed the head, tears streamed, lips moved silently and I know God leaned forward and heard our prayers.

Once again my hope for humanity was strengthened.

Once again I was thankful that as flawed as we are, we are capable of living with others in unity and love and grace and mercy and compassion.

I am thankful for people in my life. I am thankful for the community we enjoy and the body of faith which is my extended family. I am thankful for forgiveness and for the ways God works that we often cannot see until many years later.

I hope you have a blessed and happy weekend.

You are dearly loved <3

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