Gathering: 7-5-15

The Sunday gathering gang met at our house today. Rather normally. We had some absentees due to the holiday.

You may recall that last Sunday we dropped everything, in mid gathering, and took off to a local restaurant to meet someone who works there and has been in conversation with Evie about ways we can show her mercy financially. (That conversation is continuing in positive ways. This woman, it turns out, has been burned several times by churches and pastors and is very cynical about "organized religion.")

Anyway, in the moment of serendipity last week, we lost our chance to take the bread and the cup. It may be hard for you to understand how powerful that act can become when it is the one act that is central to your gathering. I noticed the loss of it last week but not doing it created an emptiness for Evie, so much so that she asked the group, after the singing time concluded, if we could do it next. We did. She led with a very moving idea having to do with how deep the Father's love for us was in sending His Son to live and die for us when we were still sinners and how easily, sometimes, we choose sin, even knowing the extent of His grace and love.

Later, we had a time of celebration and, as we prepared for prayer, some conversation about the ways we are incarnating His mercy, grace and love in the world.

As always, the meal was a moving time of fellowship.

Now, I'm hoping for a restful remainder of the day.