“
‘ “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and
be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” ‘
“So
they will put my name on the Israelites, and I will bless them.”
I
learned something about my expectations today. This church had a bright, airy
feel to it with bright-colored stained glass beautifully lit by the sun. I was
remembering some very passionate worship in very dark and humble worship areas,
and I think I was expecting vibrant worship because of the aesthetics.
This
church recently suffered the loss of their pastor and of his wife a few years earlier,
so they are early in the grieving process. But it made me wonder how often we
are affected by the environment in which we worship. We had thought that we
might help someone there through the grieving process, but I think it may be
too early.
Not
only was there a great cross on the wall, but some smaller ones built into the
walls and the ends of the pews. I noticed only door signs on the floors that we
visited. We were welcomed by a number of people, but noticed that questions
were only addressed to me.
The
preacher serves as a chaplain elsewhere and preached on “The Unexpected
Blessing” from a benediction in Numbers. He made his case for the blessing of
this benediction now.
The
preacher relayed several personal stories, beginning with the humbling
experience of being prayed for. It reminded me of an older friend who was in
her last days. My wife joined me to lay hands and pray, which went very well.
But when we finished she surprised us by holding on to us firmly so she could
pray for us.
A favorite
story to which he referred was Aaron explaining how they threw in this gold and
look at the calf that came out!
And
lastly, driving in challenging conditions and being glad there was no Christian
bumper sticker on the car.
I
remember feeling chastised because of my driving while there was a Christian
bumper sticker on the rear of my truck, and it helped me to be a better driver.
This
is a pretty facility, aesthetically pleasing in color and décor. I did not
notice directional signage, but we arrived with just enough time to use the
restrooms before the service began.
The
sanctuary walls, ceiling, and pews were white/off-white, with light green
padding on the pews. Consequently the stained glass windows on either side were
the bright spots (literally and figuratively) of the sanctuary.
I
appreciated the user-friendliness of the bulletin, as I was able to fold the
one full sheet containing the Order of Worship and place all the inserts inside
to read later.
In
early July this church lost its installed pastor after a 1½ year battle with
pancreatic cancer. I had hoped God was directing us there for the purpose of
ministering to them, but the members seem to be in the early stages of grief and
were busy ministering to each other. Ultimately I suppose that’s a sign of a
healthy church, as they are being the church to each other.
The
message, “The Unexpected Blessing,” was presented by Dr. Bill Johnson, who
serves as Chaplain for LIFE Pittsburgh. While looking at their website to learn
more about the organization, I was astounded to see they reside in the same
building to which our office moved just over a month ago. The world gets
smaller every day.
The
message wound around the meaning of the Aaronic blessing (above). The most
heartwarming thing to me was to learn that in the Hebrew the blessing is
addressed to individuals, not especially to Israel as a whole. This is further
proof to me (as if further proof were necessary…) of the personal nature of our
God and His love for us. He cares for each one individually. As the preacher
pointed out, God blesses in tangible ways, He blesses with grace, and He blesses
with His peace.
I
am overwhelmed by His grace.
Lord, we lift this church up to You and ask that You walk them through their grief. We pray You will lead pastors to them to bring them comfort and restore their joy in You. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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