Saturday Reflections

Officially, I am spending much of today preparing for tomorrow’s Adult Sunday School class. Right now, I’m taking a break from reviewing Christian history from Emperor Decius (about 249 CE) to Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicea (325 CE).

It is a pretty typical Saturday. We both attended a meeting at church earlier this morning – today it was a First Communion training class for those who will come to the Lord’s Table for the first time next Sunday on All Saints’ Sunday - then spent a little bit of time with our supervising pastor reviewing the plans for worship tomorrow on Reformation Sunday and then the schedule for the next few days. After that we came home to work from here.

In case you are worried that our schedule is all work, let me clue you in – Ray is currently sitting on our deck reading a science fiction novel, with Smokey curled up by his feet, supervising the neighborhood. It is a beautiful fall day and we are enjoying having the windows open to let the fresh air and sunshine into the apartment.

It has been a busy week, with a large group of volunteers staying at the church. That means that after a day at the LDR office, we normally join the group for dinner and some fellowship; sometimes at the church, sometimes at a local restaurant. Of course, everyone needs to eat, but more importantly, it is a time of sharing.

We all come away at the end of the evening grateful for the work we are able to do, for the food and the fellowship, and for the opportunity to rest before the next day. We also gain a sense that the church is something larger than one congregation. Rather, it is something much larger - a community of believers that circle the globe and span across time. This Church, with a capital C, has the capacity to both touch individual lives and to transform the entire world. As the Body of Christ, we are indeed blessed – with God’s grace and love and with a sense of purpose. What we cannot begin to experience or accomplish alone, we can together, with God’s gracious help.

It has been a joy to experience the group this week. They are truly members of the body who have enjoyed being together, and it showed. They were enthusiastic and energetic, with some practical construction skills, from plumbing to painting. They have worked and played hard. I believe they will arrive home later today tired, but with a tremendous sense of accomplishment.