This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Health & Fitness

BLOG: Early Morning Musings, A Good Sunday

Sunday morning at a real church.

Last Sunday was a good one at our church. I’m always proud to be a member, but this was a day to poke my pride up a degree or two.

We’re back on “the regular schedule,” and Sunday School has started again, which means that the pews and the corridors were packed with adults and children. During the announcements, a man obviously not comfortable with public speaking witnessed to a financial management course offered by the church, the difference it made to his family (helping them eliminate $8,000 in debt), and the opportunity for others to take the course this fall. 

One of the children’s choirs sang. They have a particularly enthusiastic director, and her enthusiasm bubbles over into them. That choir was seated directly in front of us, and when we stood up during the service two of the boys were having an enthusiastic kicking contest. They reminded me of myself when I was their age. The sweet little girl seated behind them tried to get them to stop, but that only encouraged them to kick all the more. Like I said, they reminded me of myself.

Find out what's happening in Eaganwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The Bell Choir played for the first time this season. The “end man” was back after a year’s absence. He plays the biggest bells, six or eight of them, and part of the treat of the Bell Choir is watching him dance with his bells. He is in the Marines now, home on leave for one week, and chose to spend some if it playing the bells.

Our younger pastor had a wonderful sermon highlighting the dependable grace of God, always there for us, even when we don’t deserve it (which is, of course, all the time). As always, she had us laughing occasionally but still made a serious and encouraging point.

Find out what's happening in Eaganwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

We prayed for the sick, for those who had experienced recent family deaths, for those in military service, for our nation’s diplomats around the world, and for our mission partners in the Twin Cities, Tanzania and Guatemala. 

At the Adult Forum our new seminary intern gave a presentation introducing herself. Some of the attendees were a little nonplussed at the beginning of it when she walked us through a Bible study, but eventually it became clear that this passage is central to her and her life, so it all made sense. In the first ever episode of the old Mary Tyler Moore show, Lou Grant characterizes Mary as “perky,” but then says “I hate perky!” Our new intern is perky, but we do not hate perky, for when you get to know her, you find that there is considerable substance behind that perkiness.

And along the way, a two-year-old gentleman was baptized. When the pastor picked him up to put the water on his head the youngster got a little rattled and fussed a bit and the result was that a good time was had by all. His parents and sponsors promised to bring him up in the Christian faith, and the congregation promised to support them and be their partners in that undertaking. When the pastor walked the young man and his parents to the center of the church and introduced him to the congregation, his sister and a couple toddler cousins came along, and when the rite was completed we all clapped for him and welcomed him into the church family. Then the four toddlers got together to blow out the baptismal candle, and we all at least smiled.

Our church does lots of baptisms every year and most of them go just that way and in three years the children start showing up in Sunday School and singing in the choirs and all those good things and the congregation continues to love them. The only unique element about this baptism was that the child in question has two mothers and no father, but nobody made a big deal about that; he is another child of God to be loved, and they are Christian parents to be supported.

All in all, a very good day at our church.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?