This past Sunday I attended church twice. In the morning, Jacob and I went back to Aley UMC for Palm Sunday. (Kerri and Samantha were attending a "Bunny Brunch.") Again, I enjoyed it, though I was hoping the message would be a little more timely. Instead the pastor continued his series on prayer. Still, it was fun to hear the kids singing. I don’t think there are any opera protoges in the group, (My grandfather used to say about me, "Caruso he ain’t.") but they gave it their all and appeared to enjoy it. The adults certainly did.
In the evening we finally made it to a new house church that some friends of ours are starting. We had tried once before, but sick kids kept us home. As you might expect it was fairly simple. Six families in all: 10 adults and 7 kids. Pizza and salad; singing; and a conversation around the Kingdom of God. It was a little awkward, since most of us don’t know each other real well yet.
Nevertheless, I loved it. I enjoyed the fact that most of us had shakers, so that we could join in the music. Few of us did – I felt horribly nervous, since my rhythm is questionable at best – but the option to participate a little more was nice, a step toward what I want. The conversation was good also, even though it, too, was full of awkward silences. We seemed to hone in on the fact that the Kingdom always seems to run counter to expectations. It wasn’t what the religious authorities expected. It wasn’t what the disciples expected. It still isn’t exactly what we expect. We have an almost natural tendency to co-opt the Kingdom, assigning values and motives that aren’t natural to it. Fortunately, Jesus is patient and willing to correct our image of the Kingdom as often as is necessary.
Ten weeks, ten churches (I think.) I think the hopping is drawing to a close, and I’ll post some thoughts in a bit.
