BLOGGING TOWARD SUNDAY…

For you readers who are not local, I want to share how it was here on Easter morning.  For the first time ever, we had a joint Sunrise Service with Friendship UMC.  I led the  liturgy at the cemetery, and the Rev. Gary Richardson preached a great message just as the sun was climbing above the horizon.  The air was cold (37!) but the spirit was warm and sweet, as our two very similar congregations came together to celebrate the resurrection.

But as good as the early service was, it paled in comparison to the choir’s presentation of The Rose of Calvary, by Joseph Martin.  The choir loft was filled, as was the sanctuary, and I don’t know if I have ever felt God’s presence in a more powerful way.  The music, as I said last week, was sublime, and I was very proud of the way our choir presented it. 

Two comments made to me after the service stand out in my mind.  Mike Loftis said that near the end of the cantata, when we were singing “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” and Tyler Howard carried the flower-decorated cross down the aisle, he got so choked up he had to stop singing for a few seconds.

One young mother told me that as the choir was singing, she glanced over at her young son, whose head was bowed and his hands folded in prayer, and when he raised his head, his eyes were filled with tears.  Others told me they had difficulty seeing the words printed in the bulletin because of the tears in their eyes.

The combination of the old, old story and the music being wed perfectly with the words led us to an outstanding worship experience.  That service ranks among the very best in my 16 years in Union Grove.  Thank you choir, June, Cindy, and soloists Anita and Lesley!  The Holy Spirit of God used you yesterday to stir our very souls, and we are all better for having been there and experienced it.  Christ is Risen!  Christ is risen indeed!

Filed under: Blogging Toward Sunday