We are fast approaching the day on which we shall celebrate 125 years of being a church in this community. Grace has certainly found its roots in this beloved community of ours, and as we arrive at this historic 125-year-event, I hope that the year has treated you well.
Thinking about these words that the worship committee has decided on for its theme, comes to the front of my mind as I write this piece.
I was quite young when I first saw the movie, Mary Poppins. And I admit it was quite the delightful experience. Yet, for some reason, this week as I write this newsletter, I am captivated by this line in the movie, “As I suspected, Mary Poppins. Practically perfect in every way.” Particularly the word, “perfect,” sticks out to me. It is a word that I find uncomfortable for a lot of reasons,
I wasn’t much into cooking until I became an adult. Not necessarily because I couldn’t learn how, but just because I didn’t really need to cook in college, and even in seminary, I was more than content with the simplest meals like soups or various versions of eggs and toast. That has changed a good bit since getting married, and even just moving here, a little over four years ago, since I now have a nice enough kitchen to explore more culinary creations.
During our summer vacation this year, we had the privilege to go to three unique cities: Amsterdam, Delft, and Paris. During my time in these cities, there were plenty of spaces that I entered that felt holy for one reason or another. Whether if it was “Our Lord in the Attic” church in Amsterdam, the Rijksmuseum, the Anne Frank house, or finally seeing the inside of Notre Dame, it truly gave an experience that is hard to capture into words.
I would like to share something with you all that you probably already know, but it’s always good to write out. I take a lot of pride in being able to make a good worship service. I want to make the service meaningful in some way. And what better way to do that than to write a captivating, informative, and thoughtful sermon. It is the part of the service for about 10 to 15 uninterrupted minutes when I have everyone’s attention on me.