Goof-ups and Grace

On Sunday, January 4, I was blessed to have been asked to worship with the good folks at our congregation in Otisco.  Three different ruling elders helped lead the worship service, and all I was asked to do was read the Scripture lessons and preach.  It was a wonderful experience to worship with them that Sunday!

However... It's confession time.  As you know, every congregation orders their worship liturgy in different ways, and even within the same congregation the order is changed from time to time:  placement of hymns, special music, responsive readings, celebrations of the Sacraments, etc.  Also, as I'm sure you understand, pastors get used to doing certain things at certain times in worship services.  So, now that I am no longer the pastor of a congregation, that which is an absolute delight for me – preaching occasionally at different churches in our Presbytery - also has its unique set of challenges.  The main challenge (besides making sure I have the time of worship correct!) is to make sure I carefully look over the worship service so that I know who is doing what when.

So, Sunday at Otisco... The worship service was progressing right along.  Folks were friendly, welcoming, responsive, and engaged in all parts of the service.  It came time for me to read the New Testament lesson, which I did.  Then I proceeded right into the sermon, which is what I'm used to doing.  Again, folks paid attention and responded throughout the sermon, and, by grace, God was worshiped and glorified.

I finished, sat down, and got ready to sing the next hymn.  The pianist didn't begin playing immediately.  I thought to myself, "Ah, they have some moments for silent reflection after the sermon.  That's good."  I looked at the bulletin, saw which hymn was next... looked at what followed next in the service, and saw that it said "Meditation" (or the sermon).  I panicked, since I quite obviously had just finished delivering the sermon!  I looked further in the bulletin.  I then noticed that what should have happened was this:  New Testament reading, hymn, sermon, hymn; I'd just skipped right over that one hymn.  "Rats," I said to myself.  I then realized that the pianist wasn't playing, not because she was allowing for some meditative silence, but because she was waiting to see what I might choose to do next in the service, since I obviously had thrown the order of worship out the window!  The next liturgist looked at me, and then started to get up, but I got up first.  I looked at the saints gathered in that wonderful church, chuckled, and said, "You know, if I hadn't just preached a sermon entitled, 'Look Around,' and talked about the importance of being aware and attentive to what God is doing all around us, my skipping over a part of the service might not be quite so awkwardly funny!"  We all laughed together, and proceeded to sing two hymns in a row!  Oh, well!

We don't always get things right in our lives, in our work, in our relationships, or even in our communal worship of God.  But we still are called to "Look Around" and see what the Lord is doing in us, in others around us, in our church, in our Presbytery, in our community, in our world.  Thankfully, God gives us grace as we fumble along, trying to share Christ's light in the world, trying to see the light of Christ in others as well.

I experienced wonderful grace from the folks gathered that Sunday with me in Otisco to worship our God together.  I long for you to "Look Around" and experience instances of grace in your own life as well.  It's all around us.