I am back in church

As I write, the strains of “A Mighty Fortress” are being sung during a Reformation service far north of where I live, but south of where I used to live. Does my heart good to listen to the singing, though I am personally all sung out until Wednesday night!

The sun feels delicious on my back and shoulders. My patio and kitchen doors are opened, but the bedroom doors are closed. It is a bit nippy out there this a.m.; only in the low 60’s to get us started. The house is getting a breath of fresh air and my feet are snuggled in the fuzzy slippers.

The washer is busily taking care of the dirty laundry even though both my baskets overflow with the already cleaned loads. I wish someone would fold those towels and put them away! The nightgowns and my dainties are grabbed out when they come to the top of the heap, shoved into the drawer. But the folded stuff requires more of me. We just make our own trouble sometimes by setting these unreasonable standards for folding things! Guess I can still do that---someday!

Last night for dinner I ate some of the leftover spaghetti from Friday’s Dinner and Movie. It occurred to me that I did not care for the sauce, or something. I just don’t like it and will toss the balance of the meal. Did I even mention the Dinner and Movie on Friday? I could go back to check…hang on….Nope, I did not.

Judy C. and my pool friend, Mary, came for Dinner and a Movie at which I served the aforementioned spaghetti. I even had a salad which Mary was quite impressed by ("Oh, you made a salad!"). Actually I tore open the bag and dumped it in the bowl. Even my newer friends are aware of my quirks! The movie we watched was “Brideshead Revisited”, a theatrical version from a few years ago. Mary had seen the PBS version which is over 10 hours long. My upstairs neighbor reported he owns that series, which follows the book nearly verbatim and offered to lend it to me. Since this shorter version left us a bit unsettled, some time passing before watching the televised version might be appreciated!

Saturday morning I had to be at church by 9:00 a.m. for our joint choir rehearsal. It was marvelous to be with both church choirs and do our run-throughs. Anne H. was talking with me afterward and said how much she has appreciated watching Robbie’s ‘earnestness’ increase as the big day approached. Usually she only saw him as “The Maestro” on the day of the service, since Rachel would accompany and direct at Victory. This time he served the two churches as both accompanist and director. She wondered if she should mention this to him and my reply was ‘absolutely’! Robbie greatly appreciates feed- back and reinforcement. Only 24 years old and he wears so many hats already. The other morning he was showing me all the different hymnals and books he needed for the service. He said, “I love planning this stuff out…”I love that he loves it!

For the special Reformation service, he was bouncing back and forth between the organ and the piano. At one point, when I was in back of the church, I whispered to his dad, Cliff, “Next he’s going to grab that bassoon and play it!” Sterling had the bassoon parked between the organ and piano, and could easily have been knocked over in the shuffle.

The service itself was very nice, with the three pastors (two Kuske’s and a Hoyer) presenting brief remarks in regard to the readings from the Small Catechism and Smalcald Articles. Our anthems were interwoven with the responsive readings. It was great reading through these parts of our confessions, and I remember fondly a Bible study done years ago on the Smalcald Articles. We were well fed!

When it was time for the congregation to sing “In Christ Alone”, I moved away from the rest of choir sitting in the pews to join Terri T., alone in hers. She scooted over but just enough so we could lean on each other a bit. This hymn, with its rich text, was sung at Gordy’s funeral, and somehow I sang it without sobbing that day, and again on Sunday. She was not so fortunate but I sang it in her stead. She helps me out on Easter and I help her out on Reformation…that’s what friends do! When I got back to my seat, the lady in front of me, from Christ Lutheran, turned around and smiled at me, as she also wept!

There was a funny thing that happened as well. I found it so, anyway. First of all, Robbie told me ahead of time that Sterling and he were playing “Jerusalem…”during the offertory, plus “In Christ Alone” in the service. I told the ladies that since we had Psalm 46 during the service and in the a.m. service, Pastor K. mentioned some of Psalm 31, all we needed was Rice Krispie Treats and we’d have my funeral! Carol said that was fine only she would want to change her clothes first. I told Carol she looked nice and she said, “No. I need to wear my brightest colors for your funeral!” Love that!

So, here comes the funny part---if you can stand any more funny parts---Sterling and Robbie were playing the pre-service music, waiting for the three pastors to come around the building and in the front doors. They were playing “Behold, a Host Arrayed in White”, another of my funeral hymns. Anne loves it too and I told her it was for my funeral. When we looked up, we saw through the opened breezeway door, three men--in white robes. I turned and looked at Anne, and she got the irony, as well.... Coincidence? I think not!