My last one?

It's the end of my pulpit supply series I have been doing while there's been no service in my home church - I've been leading worship at my "other" home church. The church was quiet busy, with some from my own home church and friends of mine up visiting their parents (who are members of this church) with their 2 month old son (who slept through the whole service, so good to know I'm engaging!!!).

It was good to have some children today. They were quiet (they are like that, it wasn't just because I am unfamiliar), but did seem to be intently listening when I was speaking to them. Should remind myself not to knee down, though. Getting up in painful. Old age, it doesn't come itself!

The theme of the service was sharing based on the feeding of the 5000. The disciples had a little, but with Jesus blessing, the little they had fed everyone with leftovers. Pretty cool. While delivering the sermon, it occurred to me how that's happened (and still happening) with me. God has taken the little I have, blessed it and sent me to share it with the world. Pretty amazing.

Evey time I have lead worship, I have been very aware just how much what I am saying is speaking to me as much as anyone else. At least I feel I am worshiping, though I am becoming all too aware the opportunities to sit in the body of the kirk and "just be" during worship are fast diminishing. But this is what God calls me to and, as I has seen, has given me the gifts to fulfill.

At the end of the service, a few of the congregation mentioned how much they'd enjoyed the service. How they hadn't though of the feeding of the 5000 as an act of sharing, but maybe it was. There were some who wished me well for beginning my studies/training and said "auch, you'll do well". From Presbyterian Scot's that's a huge complement, though I see it as "nae pressure then".

As it was my last Sunday there for the foreseeable future, I was given some of the flowers which were in church. At home, this lead to the amusing search around the Gerbil Burrow trying to find a suitable receptacle for gladioli. Eventually, we put them here...

Flowers in demijohns

Well, they are waterproof and tall. When you don't own any vases (because you don't generally like dead plants), you have to be inventive where to put flowers. The last time it was in an old pickled onion jar. Yes, the Gerbil Burrow is classy!