Routine

Today is Labor Day - well for an hour and a half, at least. Then summer is over, according to American tradition. Tomorrow begins ROUTINE. That is, kids are getting ready to get on the bus for school. We begin Kids Church next Sunday. Our sewing group - the Busy Bees - begin work a week from tomorrow. We start a Foundations Class on the 10th of September. Routine even includes special programs, such as "My Name is Peter" with Tim Blanchfield on October 18 and a women's tea with Liz Burdick who does a special presentation based on the life of Corrie Ten Boom on October 25. We will have our annual Thanksgiving Community Dinner on November 22. The next week is our annual Thanksgiving program with other churches. Christmas season brings great things, including a children's presentation and our Christmas Eve Candlelight service. There is New Year's Eve with a special communion service. We plan a special ten week Scripture program early in the new year. Then comes Palm Sunday, our Seder on Maundy Thursday, a joint Good Friday Service, and, best of all, Easter. Wow!! Isn't routine great?

What I described is the routine of the church year. Some of it has to do with annual church year events, such as Advent and Christmas and Holy Week. Other activities are special to our particular church: the Thanksgiving Community Dinner, New Year's Eve communion service. And then there are special programs such as the Tim Blanchfield event, the Ladies Tea, the Scripture program, etc. There are sure to be others.

The central point of the church year is for us to be together in the presence of the Lord so that he can speak to us, teach us himself - lead us further into his Kingdom. Our activities are designed to make all this happen. Without the Lord's presence and guidance, we will just be busy. With his presence, we will be gathered as his Body into a powerful community of faith.

The one thing that is certain about the routine of the church year is that there will always be serendipity, those unexpected times when everything we planned seems to be set aside to do what the Lord in the moment is doing. It is good to plan and to know what our plans are. But God is always in charge. In fact, someone has said that if we want to see God laugh, tell him our plans. Routine is good, and so is serendipity. Routine is good, and so is the time when God says, "Let's just see how it might go if we change everything right now!"

Well, I am excited about the coming church year. Let's see what God can do with our routine.