This Sunday our church celebrated Laity Sunday (I know we are a couple of weeks later, but the wait was well worth it). I had the privilege of sitting on the “other” side for Saturday night and Sunday morning. I was impressed with our co-Lay Leaders! The two worship experiences are quite different – Saturday night is emergent and Sunday morning traditional. Rich and Diane did wonderfully adjusting to the different environments. Saturday night I was kids free for the message, so I really enjoyed Diane’s discussion about gifts. Sunday morning I was able to relieve my wife of our 1 year old, so off to the Narthex I went and worshiped from outside the Sanctuary.
It has been awhile since I sat on the other side as a worshiper (not a pastor off for the weekend or critiquing the worship service and message). I was genuinely just part of the grand story God was unfolding in the midst of the church. Both were great experiences that stirred something inside me. The depth of Diane’s message was powerful, as she led the congregation on a journey through realization to implementation of gifts in the church. I felt refreshed as I finished off the weekend (maybe more than I was supposed to be because we canceled the Youth Outing to the Corn Maze).
I also felt a little disappointed for the first time because I was not giving a message. I took advantage of last week and this week to finalize Advent and Christmas. But not being a channel for God in the same way became a little melancholy.
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