Today we had 109 souls in church! To find as many on a Sunday previous, I had to go back to Easter Sunday, 2006! Before that it's Easter Sunday 2005, etc. Pretty cool, I must say, though many of those people because of the birthday of a venerable member of our congregation. Of course, it's unfashionable to obsesses over attendance to much--it's not a marker of church health at all, but I still can't help feeling pretty satisfied. It was a really energetic service, too, that included Matthew's Drum Circle kids making their liturgical debut. Meghan Bold also did a dance number with the kids.
Because it was also All Saints (transfered from Thursday) I preached about the kingdom of heaven and worked in the idea of the dancing saints (cf. Gregory of Nyssa--the Saint and the Church). The kingdom of heaven, I argued, is a dynamic and populated place of perfected and harmonious nature dancing in delight (cf. Psalm 149, 150). I went on from there and then invited the kids to dance. At the end of the dance the kids went and pulled adults from the congregation and got them dancing, too. It really got people excited and joyful, which was precisely the point!
After the service a number of people came up to me with ideas and initiatives they want to pursue. One person suggested a mural of dancing saints in the nave. Another wanted to talk about canvassing the neighborhood to attract new members. Another described plans to create a wheelchair ramp up to the coffee hour area. All worthy ideas that will have their day. Of course, it would be impossible to pursue them all myself, so I'm incredibly thankful that these ideas are coming from the congregation. So that's where I'll find the energy and people-power to develop them.
Yes, yes, a good day at church. The funny thing is that last night I was totally in a funk about the whole parish church project. I was moping about how hard parish ministry is, etc., etc. It's a little depression dance that pastors like to do sometimes. But even as I thought these things I realized that I was really just feeling stressed out and spiritually tried, so I put on some intense music (Beta Band, in this case) and got in a better mood. Playing with the kitty helped, too.
Variability in mood is a real problem for people in the helping professions. We tend to identify with our vocations in a strong way that means that we tend to take stuff way too seriously. If things aren't going well for "our people" we get gloomy. If they do well (like today) then we get all giddy. There is wisdom is seeking a more detached way, but who wants a detached priest? I mean, I know priests that try to maintain that kind of level-headedness, but it doesn't seem to be what our age is calling for. No, this is an age for priests made of fire--or at least water....
Betsy's coming home tonight. I'm pleased about that--I have an nice surprise for her when she comes home.
Last night I went to the Brampton Symphony Philharmonic for the world premiere of a piece written by Matthew called "The Refugee Child." It was a lovely piece. Neat to see something a fried wrote performed by a whole orchestra. Apparently, after the show Matthew attended an "Imperial Reception" for a Vietnamese Princess who attended the show. It's not everyday you meet an honest-to-God Princess, alas, I was not invited. But that's okay--I have a Princess at home.
-t
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