Bob’s thoughts:
The church is aesthetically appealing, beautiful stained glass, large cross, beam and wood panel ceiling, generous pew spacing, and curved-front balcony.
The pastor took time to explain the corporate and private confession, but I thought the silent time could have been longer.
The sermon, “A Very Proud Parent,” made me think of how proud God is of Christ, and wonder how He could be proud of us. We are called to glorify and enjoy God, and we fail miserably.
Recently I have been called to spend more time in prayer for the church and its pastor; however, today it brought a dilemma: I was able to pray for the pastor, but not the congregation. I have never felt that my prayers were not wanted or in vain, but today they were not received. Even in an inward-focused church I would expect some excitement, and today felt nothing.
I did find some mission involvement by the church, although a small percentage of income. I sense some real turmoil at this church, something I hope will be clarified in further prayer.
Jan’s thoughts:
This is a stately old building, well tended and nicely decorated. The stained glass was beautiful and the Sanctuary was well coordinated and lovely, although chilly.
Lots of folks greeted us before, during, and after the service. The bulletin for this very traditional service was well done, with tons of information. The choir, though only nine in number, had the vocal power to reach the back row where we sat.
I cannot recall the last time I witnessed an actual Processional and/or Recessional, but this church did them both. They also turned off the Sanctuary lights (except the Chancel) for the sermon.
I appreciated the pastor’s message to the children that the church is both a place of refuge in the rough times and a place to share the joys of life.
Being Baptism of the Lord Sunday, the sermon, entitled “A Very Proud Parent,” was based on Matthew 3:11-17. He spoke about the desire of a child to please his/her parents, and quoted various Scripture passages about what it takes to please God. He held that although he is in favor of using inclusive language, he did not feel it helpful or right to be gender neutral in referring to God. He reminded everyone that “we are here to please God, not people.” I couldn’t agree more.
I had hoped to meet the Spirit in worship this morning, but that was not the case. I have been unable to put my finger on any particular reason for it, it just is.
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