September 10th, 2006 - Sunday Service

Today was Rally Day. We move from the single service worship we follow in summer to two services with an Education hour between. There was an installation of Sunday School teachers at both worships where the children blessed the teachers with the help of Pastor Dayle and the congregation.

Participating in two worship services when the opportunity presents itself is a blessing. There are different highlights, different places where your attention is placed. An understanding comes about our responses to the opportunities God gives us as a congregation to worship.

In her talk to the children Sara focused on the energy and anticipation of the congregation around the associate pasor call that is progressing right now. Between the call and the beginning of school there was a sense of invigoration present in both services. There were people dancing at both services with a joy that moved us today.

During the Adult Education hour we learned more about the candidate the call committee is recommending to the council now, Pastor Mark Beatty. Susan took us through the process the call committee went through to select him from the five candidates the committee interviewed. Susan also gave us an overview of his background and accomplishments. In three weeks the call should come to a congregational vote.

In her sermon Pastor Dayle spoke of everything we bring to worship as a community and as individuals. She preached on the gospel, about the excitement of the call and the beginning of school and the upcoming 9/11 anniversary. What we bring to worship is not always easy to pull together.

We tend to focus on the joy we want to experience but there is more that is going on in the worship service. Confession, prayer and communion are weekly parts of keeping worship healthy and focusing us on our relationship with God. I tend to not write about them as much in the blog but they are always there. They are another part in the attention talked about before moving to the two services. Today the second communion was a powerful experience for me, during the first my attention was on the music that was about to be played.

Confession, prayer and communion touch places within me I can barely articulate, though I am certain I will try again here in coming weeks to put some of this in words.