Monday, December 13, 2010

What DID I expect?

If you read the blog right before this one, you get an idea of where the sermon was supposed to go yesterday, and that was all part of a set of larger expectations for Sunday that included our congregation's annual Christmas dinner and pageant.
But then the weather forecast was just scary enough that we did not know what kind of weather to expect on Sunday evening. So, we postponed the pageant to next Sunday morning and the dinner for after church. Messed up a lot of plans, including my own.
Then, during the second service our organist, Janet, collapsed in the middle of my sermon (I think it was a coincidence). She sits behind me and I didn't understand what was happening until I saw the medical professionals in the congregation leaping out of their seats and running forward.  Everything stopped while several choir members and ushers literally carried Janet out of the sanctuary. I led the congregation in prayer for her and then tried to pick up the sermon where I left off. A few minutes later, a retired physician came back in and gave us a two-thumbs up sign that Janet was OK. So OK, in fact, that I learned later she tried to talk people into letting her finish the service. She went to the hospital ER instead.
So, what did we do without an organist? It turned out the choral offertory was already planned with recorded accompaniment - what I call "Karoke", but I was glad for it yesterday. The physician is also a wonderful pianist and he played the last two hymns on the piano.
And the Lord, not trusting the preacher, decided to make the point that we need to give up our expectations and receive the gifts God has for us.
Janet, by the way, is doing fine, but she was in the hospital overnight and, as our Children's Ministries Director pointed out to me, if we had held the pageant we would have been in trouble because Janet was the accompanist.

2 comments:

  1. When we prayed in Children's Worship, the kids said things like...."Well, at least it happened here with all of the nurses and Doctors and paramedics God has worship with us."
    "If she was at home or on the road driving she would have been alone.".
    I love those kids.

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  2. Roger,

    I'm reminded of the MIT (Minister In Training) in Fillmore who once lit a candle with a match and then proceeded to put the candle in the same hand as the match and then shake out the match.... and the candle. That was a very funny image that I play back in my mind every now and then. Usually in church.

    I also remember that Rollin Archer had his stroke in the middle of church.

    Nothing burned down and Rollin recovered completely but these things happen in church and that is OK because you have people who care and can respond and the rest of us support through prayer!!

    Have a great holiday season!

    BTW.. they may not remember what you said in the sermon but they will all remember the day!!!

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