"Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Paul to the persecuted at Philippi (2:5-11)

13 November 2011

Pleasant Surprises

I had forgotten; church planting is all about surprises. Some of them not so pleasant, like the police showing up at Edgeworth one fateful night or the multitude of forgotten items that are not where they're supposed to be when they're needed. Those surprises are somehow more easily remembered, they're the stuff of stories. And when the parish is ten years old, they're told at reunions and celebrations over bad parish coffee in the undercroft. But the pleasant surprises fade too quickly and need more to be recorded.

Today we had a visit from Dave (aka OlDave who kindly comments from time to time) and from a friend of the organist who had poked his head in at the old place a few times in recent weeks. I had felt that we weren't ready for guests, we hadn't gotten our liturgical space down quite and things still went bump at the altar. I'd been reluctant to invite folks because we weren't polished.

Too many years in theater in my misspent youth.

Worship isn't a show. It isn't going to be polished. Its about us coming before God's altar to be polished up. And its pride which stands between us and inviting friends to church, almost always.

And I had forgotten that until guests did show up. And no, things weren't polished (one of the -- brand spankin' new first time we'd managed to get candles on the altar ever -- candles almost made more of a light than we had intended (thanks we think to a localized draft from the main doors) and there's still that typo in the service book that I keep forgetting to mention to the rector, and I'm sure any number of other blips that mean nothing to God. The bigger blips are in us, not things that just happen.

Anyway, I guess that means the parish is open for business... we're not hanging out a sign just yet, but if you want directions, you know how to ask. :)

7 comments:

  1. Altar Book - on the "to do" list. Bi-vocational clergy = possibly worst idea ever.

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  2. Uhhhh - is it possible to cut and paste from the full BCP on the web?

    http://www.etf1928.org/wp-content/uploads/1928-bcp-pdf-file.pdf

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  3. frpaulas -

    Nobody likes to actually PAY their clergy, but then, STARVING clergy isn't too appealing, either.

    (appropriate emoticon here)

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  4. Food = good
    Starving = bad
    Food = fun
    beets = liver = not food

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  5. Thank you, father, for that very important announcement.

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  6. The good thing about liver and beets is that you get to eat alone, so you can read in peace.

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  7. Eat yer liver, eat yer beets, have some German cheese on the side
    Garlic is a nice garnish, you can eat and read yer book in peace
    Grow up just like me, big and strong and smelly - and all alone


    Sijo

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