June 11, 2017 - First Sunday after Pentecost: Trinity Sunday - They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love

Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.

John Lennon, Beautiful Boy

Irene observed after service today "You really enjoy playing music in worship, don't you?"

Certainly the answer is yes, but there is more that needs to be said. Irene was working on a 13th Month display outside the sanctuary when she said this. She was paying attention to the small details of a sign announicng the next week's theme and was gratified that work she and the other members of the 13th Month organizing team were completing was making a difference in the congregation's giving.

This is the way the congregation works and lives out what Creator is all about as a community performing ministry together.

Pastor Ron delivered today's sermon while Pastor Michelle was in Poland visiting our sister synod with Bishop Dave and others. His sermon's theme centered around the song They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love. He said this recognition came about, despite how we often stumble as disciples, through regular, patient practice of this love. This is what we practice when we are with each other. This is what we practice when we worship together.

This Sunday that particular message became obvious. This was an activity-filled week for many in the congregation. The 13th Month activities are now in full swing. My part this week these activities was to make sure our presenter, Kelly Bean from African Road, did not experience technical problems with her presentation after the service.

Normally my Thursday routine for preparing for Sunday worship is to pick up a bulletin that has been folded by Pat. I notate the chords and guitar part for the coming Sunday which I use to practice. Pat, undoubtedly busy with something else, was off her schedule and folded them on Friday instead. As I mentioned this was a busy week.

I wrote in the last blog about Pastor Michelle preaching about there being evidence of the birth of a new church, one more fiery, courageous, and active, with a strong resemblance to the first church. Those qualities are, as I mentioned, natural to youth, those who long for change and want Christian faith and beliefs to guide their actions and lives. This week, however, the strengths of stability of the church that comes through routines, traditions and protocols were in evidence.

Tradition, experience and practice can definitely provide a backbone of support. Worship ran like a well-oiled machine, despite Pastor Michelle's absence. Matt, Luka and I relied on our past with one another to quickly agree what needed to happen with the music.This allowed time for setting up the computer for Kelly's presentation.  Lucia sang with Matt accompanying her which was obviously well-rehearsed. Toni gave the announcements which she has obviously done many times in the past and she is totally at ease with presenting,

Suzi talked about the 13th Month theme for the day which was Global Mission. Creator is working from a template of what we have worked out before with 13th Month so many pieces could be incorporated from the past, while allowing for new plans to augment what was done in the past.

Returning to Irene's observation, the "enjoyment" Irene observed was real but something I was barely conscious of because it is there each week. The 2 Corinthians 13 lesson today contains the beautiful verse "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you". To whatever level that happens to become "routine" we should not overlook the power of "a holy kiss" because it is routine. The temptation to do this is real.

Photo by Ron Houser

The African Road presentation continued this lesson in community life. So much and so many came together to make this meaningful  As I noted before there was the 13th Month committee that publicized the event beforehand. Ron graciously agreed to take photos at the last minute even though he hadn't brought his camera. He used his cell phone instead.

During her presentation Kelly Bean labeled the layers of community connections "synergies". Her presentation itself was the result of a series of chance opportunities that had happened through social connections,

Kelly and I had previously talked about Creator being part of Convergence network. The primary purpose of Convergence is to facilitate those connections. What I did not know until this presentation is that Brian McLaren, who is a major Convergence advocate, had started her on the work that led to her becoming Executive Director and Co-Founder of African Road.

One of Kelly's close African Road associates was Pastor Jenny from First Presbyterian in Bend, Pastor Jenny and Pastor Ron also know each other well and have worked together. Throughout this hour Kelly Bean's treasured moments that she chose to share around the African Road empowerment project were stories abut healed relationships between local tribes in Burundi and their neighbors.

Another beautiful connection was that Anelise and Lucia were both in attendance and affirmed what Kelly witnessed in her trips to Burundi. The web of interconnection and stories of relationship continued later in the day but that is for another blog entry.

"They'll know we are Christians by our love". Indeed. And we will know ourselves through our stories of love and how that love manifests itself through us.