Reunited with my daughters in Indiana, we hopped in the car and went to supper on Friday night at the famous Grays Brothers Cafeteria in Mooresville, Indiana. What? You've never heard of it? If not, you're probably not from the Indianapolis area.
Fifteen of us invaded the restaurant, including my nieces and nephews.
Dad and Wendy were our hosts.
We were a rowdy bunch.
Well, not everybody was rowdy.
We got Meghan home on Saturday night. Then, after only one night in her own bed, she was off to New Orleans. About 120 youth and sponsors met at Grandview to prepare for the journey.
There were about five or six churches going together, so the lower parking lot was good and full by 7am. It's great to see youth groups from Christian churches, Presbyterian, and Episcopal churches working together. Kudos to Ryan and the other youth ministers!
We had a good morning at Grandview. The music was good. The communion meditations were good. . . and any time I get to be silly in sermons, then I'm pretty happy.
Here is today's prayer:
Prayers of the Church for Grandview
July 8, 2007
God, please bless this prayer, this place, this people as we all gather in your honor. We believe that you made humanity from your pure fountain of life. From you we flow, out of your love, out of your creativity, and your enthusiasm for all life.
When your passion became flesh, O God, we got to see what life really looks like in your kingdom. We got to see true Life when Jesus encountered the blind, the lame, the weak, the grieving, and the sinning. In Jesus we saw how your passion made flesh loved those around him with a pure and spotless love, undamaged by human circumstances—both his and ours.
Help us to love each other out of that same passion. Help us to love those who see themselves as only marginally part of our family. Help us to love those aren’t the least bit interested in church and worship and prayer and giving and fasting. Help us to love those who work against your purposes—even as we realize that we all fit that category in our own time and in our own ways.
Forgive us for playing the part of Christians, for showing up on the stage, dressed for our roles, having memorized nice-sounding lines, but not caring about the author’s intentions. Forgive us for looking the part while nurturing soiled hearts.
Our prayers, as every week, are for the sick, the dying, the discouraged, and for those in harm’s way. Give them healing, peace, fresh strength, and safety.
Breathe your peace into the many wars that rage. Some of the wars are well-known to us, such as Iraq and Afghanistan. Some of the wars are between people we have never heard of, wars that go unnoticed on the worldwide scale—but in every instance the innocent suffer along with the warriors. Make the peace you promised, O God, the peace that the world cannot give.
Give strength, encouragement, and joy to our friends who have left their homes for your sake as they serve the cause of the kingdom around the world. We remember the Coleys, Freelands, Headens, McDades, Nyadors, Veals, and the Bruens as they prepare to go.
And finally, Lord, we bring ourselves to you in the silence. We expose our most tender needs and failings to you
Fifteen of us invaded the restaurant, including my nieces and nephews.
Dad and Wendy were our hosts.
We were a rowdy bunch.
Well, not everybody was rowdy.
We got Meghan home on Saturday night. Then, after only one night in her own bed, she was off to New Orleans. About 120 youth and sponsors met at Grandview to prepare for the journey.
We had a good morning at Grandview. The music was good. The communion meditations were good. . . and any time I get to be silly in sermons, then I'm pretty happy.
1 comment:
I enjoyed the "silly" part of your message, Aaron.
Of course, working with Jr. High boys all the time probably had something to do with the appeal of that. :)
Post a Comment