A pastor named Carrie Ballenger Smith tells a great story from her days as a pastoral intern. She was scheduled to preach on a particular Sunday in the pastor’s absence. She was driving herself and her children to church that morning when she looked at her watch, and realized she was ahead of schedule. Proud of this accomplishment, she decided to treat herself to coffee and doughnuts. Her cell phone rang while in the drive through, and a voice on the other end said, “Carrie, are you alright?” And she said, “Yup. Just down the road. Stopped for some doughnuts.” The voice at the other end said, “Well…okay. It’s just that it is time for the sermon. Should we sing another hymn?” She immediately realized that she had failed to account for the shift to Daylight Savings Time. She said she hung up the phone and raced to the church, her stomach churning with anxiety the entire way, expecting angry parishioners to accost her when she arrived. But instead, when she walked in, she was playfully welcomed with grins and questions like, “Hey, Carrie, how were those doughnuts?” There were smiles and laughter all around. And of course, many months of teasing. And Carrie said, “Love was born that day.” (From Carrie Ballenger Smith)
How did this happen? It happened because of long years of preparation to trust, to play, to be patient, and to be loving. These long years of preparation to be human and loving in God’s name allowed for something gracious to happen when someone had made a mistake.
Many remark at the signs of tension and anger all around us. And it is important to realize that this kind of response does not just happen either. It takes long periods of time of unchecked suspicion, less than charitable conversation, and shaky connection. But the good news is that this does not have to be our ultimate destiny, because the Season of Advent calls us to a different kind of preparation. Advent calls us to prepare to have open minds, larger and more noble dreams, more loving commitments.
We’ll talk about this in worship on this second Sunday of Advent, as the sermon is titled, “A Prayer for Preparation: How to Make Room for Every Experience of the Holy,” arising from Mark 1:1-8. The Advent Candle reading will be offered by Jon, Maryjane, Corinne and Leah McNabb. We will also have a Stewardship moment by Ken Beckley, and we’ll celebrate Holy Communion virtually. We will sing hymns, pray and have a children’s moment. Our singers, under the direction of Gerry Sousa and accompanied by Nara Lee, will bring special music to us.
We look forward to connecting with you in our online worship this Sunday at 10:30. Visit www.smumc.church and click on the Live Stream.