Church ... Beauty of song , Beauty of giving , Beauty and love . People leaving their homes , to go hold hands .
Faith & daily life
At the heart of our faith is the belief that God meets us where we are in all the places and relationships in which we live , work , play and relate . We pray , support and encourage one another as we grow deeper in faith and learn to trust God with our whole lives . Some of us are new on the journey ; others have been at it for awhile . All of us can find inspiration and hope in the stories of our fellow travelers . FAITH & DAILY LIFE will be featured monthly with stories of God at work in YOUR life .
Holding Hands ... by Kris Potter
I look down on a church . From my choir loft seat high above the congregation there is a lot to see . The light streams in at different times in the morning , sometimes the blue in the stained glass glows , and in the next moment all the yellows and oranges are illuminated . I lean over the edge and can tell how many people have braved the winter snow , or the sunny spring day to come to church . I can see the lost child , running down the center aisle after the children ' s sermon , desperately trying to remember just which pew housed his parents .
Lee , Mike , Keela and Kris Potter
Church ... Beauty of song , Beauty of giving , Beauty and love . People leaving their homes , to go hold hands .
I can see where the roof has worn and is allowing a bit of water through the sturdy walls . I see people I know , and many I don ' t . I need to remind myself to pay attention so that my seeing doesn ' t distract me from my main mission , to sing , as best I can , the music of my faith . Our music . I follow the rules when we are singing our prepared choir piece , and during the congregational hymns I beller the tune as loudly as I can . One of the ministers in my former church , when I said I try not to sing too loudly during the hymns , said , " .... and why not ? Why wouldn ' t you sing as loudly as you can ?" Her implication was that I was holding back some of me from the church .
There was the Christmas Eve service when I strained to see what my adult son had in his hands that he was turning and twisting that looked like a pencil . And then my adult daughter handed him something that also looked like a pencil , more turning and twisting . It wasn ' t until I stood singing Silent Night in the aisle next to him that I noticed he had turned the beeswax candle , which the congregation had been given for this profound Christmas Eve closing , into Harry Potter-like wands . I ' m not sure of the theological interplay here , the connections escape me . But I was just glad to be in church , with my whole family .
The thing I notice the most from my perch is this . People are holding hands during the service . Sitting in their pews are mothers , fathers , children , couples , partners . Hands are on the pew cushion , clasped . It is such a simple calming thing to observe . When our children were young I don ' t ever remember this happening , although I am sure it likely happened in a moment when we were not stopping our son from ' mailing ' offering envelopes down the heating vents , or bringing antsy kids to the bathroom during the service just one more time . Holding hands . Getting dressed presentably , piling in the car , driving to a building to hear someone interpret the Bible the best they know how . Sing , hear about the troubles of others and the world , give money to people you don ' t know who need it . Church , wondering about its place in the 2000 ' s . But what I see is beauty . Beauty of song , beauty of giving , beauty and love . People leaving their homes , to go hold hands .
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