Yesterday, something amazing happened. We had Lessons and Carols in place of the Liturgy of the Word, and then Fr. J. called up to the front a young man and his family to award him his "God and Country" pin from Scouting (it has a new name now, but I can't remember it.). He asked the mother to actually do the pinning, then had us all stand while he read a thoughtful prayer about committment and other good things. Flash back to 25 years ago, when I first attended St. Luke's. People were so reserved and insular that newcomers were not acknowledged. I felt like a stranger for several years, even though many of the women who attended the 10 o'clock service were known to me through my job at the day care center. Even when the new prayer book came in, and the "passing of the peace" was instituted, the coldness of the congregation remained. A change took place when Fr. Ed became our Curate 7 years ago, but it was noticed only during the 7 a.m. service on Thursdays. He, you see, began to come down from behind the altar rail in the chapel to greet us during the peace. Well, that early morning service took on a new face. We began to leave our pews at the peace, greet each other with hugs, and generally become a loving unit. We welcomed new people, sporadic people, total strangers, with open arms, literally. But the ten o'clock remained the same cold, insular service. One day, I ventured out from the pew and crossed the aisle (!) during the peace at this service, too. And one day, not long after, DB joined me. It took several weeks, but finally there were maybe 5 or 6 people trying this out. But without any support from the Rector, it didn't grow beyond that. Then, Fr. J arrived. He began to leave the chancel during the peace and go down into the congregation, just as Fr. Ed and he did during the Thursday service. This gave a few more people the courage to leave their pews and go a little farther afield to greet their brothers and sisters in Christ. Back to Sunday: After the prayer over our new God and Country Scout, Fr. J. invited the congregation to come up and greet the young man and his family during the peace. WELL! It was like a dam had burst. There wasn't a person left in the pews; everyone was milling around, greeting each other, greeting the young family, smiling, hugging, friends and strangers alike. Could it be that people have been waiting for this for years? There were several "old-timers", very conservative ones, that were greeting and passing the peace right along with us radicals. Finally, Fr. J had to ask us to return to our seats. Absolutely amazing. He was laughing from the chancel steps as he said, "It's so wonderful to see a congregation enjoying themselves so much at the peace that I have to ask for attention!" The singing, the responses, the smiling faces were inspired throughout the rest of the service. At the end of it, a long-time St. Lukan, who was attending for the first time since Fr. J because she had been away for a year said,"Is this St. Luke's, this friendly, happy, warm place? How wonderful!" Amen!
I can see my little Christmas Tree through the doorway from my seat at the computer. It's so cheerful and Christmassy, and the funky old living room is perked up by its presence. I actually was inspired by it to write some Christmas cards tonight before dinner. I can never just sign cards; I always have to write a note. Consequently, the job is made more difficult than it needs to be. But I like to keep in touch at least once a year with some old friends. Signs of the times: I've been adding my E-Mail address to my signature. Hopefully, some old friends are also on-line and will use that method to contact me.
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