“But we have this treasure in jars of clay,
to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us.”
2 Corinthians 4:7 (ESV)
Dear Cobham Park Church Family,
By the time you read this, Christmas will be behind us. Even so, December details are still fresh in my mind. Our December 15th morning worship is definitely a favorite. I love how our choir members weren’t worried about impressing people because they were busy praising God from their hearts! The instrumental and vocal solos were beautiful and the advent reading was thought-provoking. I enjoyed how the preaching and music were an interwoven proclamation of God’s good news in Jesus.
With that said, let’s face it: the kids stole the show. Even the most well-rehearsed plans can be unpredictably derailed by children. (And it’s great fun to watch it happen!) In this case, our preschoolers initiated the first Cobham Park manger hay-throwing contest. Fistfuls of fodder were tossed into the air and onto the music leader. Adult sensibilities were embarrassed. Congregational laughter was unrestrained. The innocent mischievousness was somehow touching. Our courageous volunteers tried in vain to control the chaos through stern looks and relocating the manger. From where I was seated in the choir loft, I couldn’t see what was going on. I heard all the laughter, but just chalked it up to the children’s typical cuteness. When the nativity cast exited the sanctuary, I was surprised by the aftermath. The wood manger was gone. In its place, a fifteen-foot hay fallout zone covered the carpet! But…Christ was also lifted up and we all went home with warmer hearts.
Welcome to church life. We make good plans with good intentions. We know the sort of people Jesus teaches us to be. We have high expectations of ourselves and others. When we come together, however, it all ends up a beautiful mess. We love each other, but people sing off-key. We hear God, but sermons can misfire. We are inspired and guided, but courageous leaders are often frustrated. Even the best plans can be unpredictably derailed by God’s children (with extensive fallout). This is where God works: right where we are. We are ground zero for the power of His transformative love. Don’t expect people to be more than human--or God to be less than wonderful. Through it all, Christ is lifted up and we go home with warmer hearts.
In His Love,
Pastor Keith
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