ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
November 9, 2022
We’ve seen some celebrating in our town in recent days. The weather was good on Monday for the parade honoring the World Series Champs. Though I was not there, I enjoyed watching some news coverage and seeing social media pics. People were having a really good time, with lots of celebrative shouting, singing and dancing.
There is something special when a community comes together, and all the individuals seem to have their festive energy focused on one thing. It’s as if the individual people begin to disappear and something new emerges. This happens in worship, though not every Sunday. We can have a very good service of worship, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it goes to that other level where the unity of the community is unmistakable. You can’t manufacture those moments, and you definitely can’t demand them.
Yesterday, I referenced part of Isaiah 12. Later in the chapter, we read,
“Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”
I appreciate the passage and its reference to the glorious things God has done. Whether ancient or current, people’s attention is focused intently upon God’s gracious actions. A few years back, on Epiphany Sunday, we had the camel walk and burned the mortgage. It was a wonderful celebration as we publicly announced the church being debt free for the first time in more than four decades. The joy and energy in the space were intense, and there was a true spirit of gratitude that created a feeling of sacred oneness. It was not something we could fabricate on our own. It was God’s gracious work among us, and then our individual wonderment and joy connected with the wonderment and joy of those around us.
As I said, I do not believe we can manufacture such moments, but there is a certain level of expectation that helps. I can almost guarantee it won’t happen if we are unappreciative of all God has done, and it doesn’t usually happen unless people believe it is possible.
With joyous gratitude, we sing your praises, O God. You are gracious and kind, and we are thankful for those moments when something extraordinary occurs within our community. Amen.
