Last Sunday's theme was Transformed! As the presider, I had spent time the during the preceding week preparing for the service; trying to chose just the right hymns, pondering whether or not the service should include a children's moment, helping with the offertory. As I sat in the service last Sunday, I was amazed!
The day began with a very small adult class, where we are reading the book "Life Together in Christ" by Ruth Haley Barton. We discussed chapter 2, which drew on Luke 24:15-17 where Jesus met two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus, and how we are called to 'welcome the stranger'. As I shared in the class, I feel like this is something we do well within Community of Christ. Several of us around the table shared stories of how we have been both welcomed as strangers and welcomed others.
During the worship service, we watched an animation of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle where we saw a hungry caterpillar devour a large amount of food in preparation of being transformed to a butterfly. The children seemed to enjoy the short movie as a way to understand such a big word : transformed. As part of the message, Corrin told a story about taking, Norma, an elderly family friend to the store, where Norma befriended a stranger, helped her pay for some necessities and shared in prayer with the stranger in the middle of the store. As I took in the words of the hymns, the message, the prayers, and even the offertory story, I sat in awe of God's presence in that time and space. I realized that each element we participated in was orchestrated by Him. There is no other explanation for how each aspect of Sunday morning services continue to come together like a well rehearsed choir! Especially since in Community of Christ, the different aspects of the service are planned by individuals, who may not coordinate their portions with other participants.
What I learned Sunday is that if we consume Christ's teaching, like the caterpillar, we will be transformed in Him, and in that transformation, our eyes will be open to the stranger among us, and our hearts will be freed to help in ways we never expected to bless all involved.
Offertory Story :
LouAnn’s Last Flight
For 34 years, LouAnn Alexander worked as a flight attendant. But at the age of 58, she received a diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. Soon, the vivacious mother of two and grandmother-to-be was making plans for hospice care. Her older brother Rex Ridenoure was flying to see Alexander when he asked the flight attendant—an old colleague of Alexander’s, as it turned out—if he could speak to the passengers. He talked about his sister, even passed his phone around the plane so they could see photos of her. He then handed out napkins and asked if they’d write a little something for Alexander. Ninety-six passengers responded. Some drew pictures. One man and his seatmate created flowers out of napkins and swizzle sticks. But mostly, there were warm words: “Your brother made me love you, and I don’t even know you.” And “My favorite quote from when I had two brain tumors: ‘You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.’” Alexander died in April of this year, but Ridenoure never forgot the compassion shown that day. “I’m just amazed that given the opportunity, even total strangers will reach out and show a lot of empathy and concern,” he said.
Source: Arizona Republic
