Prepare for the Unexpected

It was supposed to be a Spring River float trip with high-school-aged male youth from Lakewood.  Like many events Mark Lasater nudged, no shoved, me into, there were many surprises.  It had never occurred to me that we should have a worship service while sitting around the morning campfire as the sun was rising over the river.  Holding hands in prayer and discussing where we saw God in that amazing moment seem so unnatural and uncomfortable to me… until I reflected on it the next week.

I’ve also been far outside my comfort zone indoors. For example, Richard helped serve communion at the first Lakewood OMP camp where we went to Theressa Hoover UMC and worshipped with the drug and alcohol abuse clients.  Another time, we shared as a camp a meaningful experience sitting in the narthex of our church.  The 70 were packed tightly together as we focused on a single candle.  I had a chance to share with my own son the symbolic love of Christ by washing his hands and he washing mine on another occasion.

Sanctuaries, of course, have been a huge part of my most meaningful worship.  Try taking your shoes off and walking down the center carpet of our own church with only the lights of our incredible sanctuary cross lighting your steps.  It will certainly remind you as to why we come together as a body of Christ.  This summer our Lakewood OMP camp and Rev. Cindy Russell had the honor to share communion with the pastors and some membership of the King Solomon Baptist church in Dark Hollow, 5 minutes from our home church.  We did something that we have all done as Methodists hundreds of times.  We shared an act of community.  We also offered a chance for the youth to share prayer with any of the ministers present.  The healing presence of God was thick in the air.  In that one very diverse moment, we were one in Christ.

All of these worship situations shared some important characteristics.  As participants we were highly engaged.   We were all very aware of each other.  It felt extremely intimate even when more than a hundred participated.  However, the defining worship moment was never the same.  Sometimes it was the location. Other times the music, message, communion, or even the entry or exit from worship spoke to me most.  Every time I would push through the uncomfortable feelings and somehow opened my heart and mind to the moment.  I now seek these opportunities in worship.  I don’t want to miss them and I pray as we move forward that we entice others to experience similar but different moments of meaningful worship.  I pray we will be prepared for the unexpected.

   -- Hank Godwin