Summatious Thoughts

Its nearly 10:30. I’m perching my computer precariously on my round girth and growing increasingly hot. I am now too big to turn laps off in the corners of my kitchen, and to properly photocopy anything at church. I’ve been vaguely thinking over the weekend’s events all day and trying to think what to write about them. And given that I’m still rather overly tired, I have only a few disjointed thoughts, and hopefully a fuller account later.

First, it occured to me very late last night, lying on the couch limply after the final festival meeting, that the only Event that has ever come off Perfectly and Flawlessly and Gloriously in my whole life (thus far) is my own wedding. Since being at Good Shepherd I have planned and prepared for a lot of events-4 Christmas Pageants, Five full years of Sunday Liturgical Worship, our Ordination, several weddings (other peoples) and Two Solemn Communions, plus a lot of others that I forget. This Festival was Two Years in the making and I played a small unimportant role. But as with all the others, save my wedding, the process of preparation was extremely important, and the Event, for me, takes some serious analysis to sort out what I think about it.

Second, God is good. Many many people came forward with a desire to know God and be embraced by him. I was down on the floor each night and Saturday morning as a supervisor, helping Councelors and making sure everyone had a pen and that kind of thing. The first night I was moved to see a very old man come forward. He could barely stand but did, through the prayer and then a long talk with a councellor. Sunday night I watched a teenage girl come forward while her father watched from his seat, clearly pleased. And many many others. I’ve been a Christian essentially my whole life, and I’ve never seen so many people publically desire to be Christian, all at once. To the depths of my being, I’m impressed.

Third, I’m an old foggy. Or, to put it another way, I’m an Anglican. Every evening on the way home from the Event’s Center I searched the radio desperately for something classical and church like and was relieved and delighted to be back at Good Shepherd on Sunday morning, listening to the various hymns and music Micah so graciously and calmly led us in. I realized, half way through the weekend, that each event was essentially a church service, such as I have been used to growing up-an hour of music, an offering, a sermon, and altar call.

Fourth, I’m so grateful that God is bigger than me and that he let us participate in this whole process and let us serve and gave us the strength to do it. And I’m so grateful for the riches of his grace and mercy, among them: the pitch perfect rhubarb tart I made this afternoon (after being out of the kitchen for a whole week), three beautiful forgiviing children who were happy to have a normal day off after a week of chaos, some really glorious fruit from Wegmans (succulent cherries, grapes and four fat peaches), and a husband, who, though very tired, went outside and dug up a large flower bed so that we could finally lay in some flowers and hopefully see some color in the back yard this summer, and who also then grilled a rack of lamb to glory (marinated in garlic, olive oil, mustard, vinager, salt, fresh thyme and paprika).

So, on that note of gratitude and in the hope of future glories (I fully intend to make bread tomorrow after having taken a week off), I will post this and go to sleep. A thousand thanks for your prayers. God moved us all into place and did his work and there’s more of it to do tomorrow. Good Night.