Wednesday 21 January 2015

Music and Worship

Rob was due to be in Leeds for a gig ('lounge concert' is the current fave description).  He offered to our Jesus Centre events team that on his way north, he would do us an evening, too.  The posters went up, the Parlour Cafe volunteers were put on stand-by, and Clive wired up some speakers. 

Meanwhile, John and Jennie said they'd like to come up and treat Mary and me to lunch (which doesn't happen very often, from any benefactors).  Third, it was due to be a full weekend of Burn activities, including a Friday evening event, 14 hours of worship on Saturday, and an afternoon's outreach in Fargate.

I thought I did well with the Friday morning: up at 5.30 to unload the food order; our household prayer time; an hour at 'Hallam Active' to keep my trainer (Nathan, not Andy, as previously posted) happy; rush to see Ian, our new Jesus Centres' treasurer; and finally an hour with Kat, Zeb and Zane, before John and Jennie arrived - slightly late.  Nevertheless lunch was pleasantly relaxed.  Then they chipped off to have a walk in the Peaks (despite a biting wind), while Mary had her customary afternoon rest.  I got in some preparation on our year's scriptures on discipleship, ready for giving teaching the next time we're in Coventry.  In the Jesus Centre main hall, the Film Afternoon found Colin Firth struggling to overcome his nervously-induced speech difficulty.  I was surprised no-one gave a "tut".

John and Jennie skipped joining us for tea, as the weather had sent them scrambling for warmth into the Fox House pub.  Rob was in full swing when I arrived at the Cafe.  We had a good local turnout, and as an encore he sang about his Grandma being in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.  It emerged that Liz's mother had been in the equestrian team.  You couldn't make up some things!

Rob and Jean had a leisurely breakfast in our kitchen, then went on their way.  Three birthdays today; so I texted Mick and my mate Dave, then rang Faye (six).  The afternoon gave Mary and I a chance to see James and the team at the Burn, while Steven hoped to catch up with their city centre spot.  Woodseats Baptist Church is an unprepossessing stone chapel adjacent to the Chesterfield Road. 

The two tea-station insulated jugs were empty.  I sought out the kitchen and boiled up four kettles, along the way discovering two coffee makers, a cupboard full of biscuits and a stash of Yorkshire teabags.   Some churches know how to do generous.

Around 5pm the Empower band took over.  They lead the quarterly prayer concert by that name, and had been heading up the worship on Fargate.  Here I must allow a sensitive comment: it was the cross on the platform.  First, it had draped across the horizontal bar, something that looked like a tea towel.  Yes, I know it was supposed to be discarded grave-clothes - but in January?  Then the upright was plastered with multicoloured post-it notes.  Yes, I know they were probably some prayers, confessions or burdens that folks had been invited to 'bring to the cross'.  Finally two bright red heart-shaped balloons were floating above it.  Again, probably the remnant of a message that God has shown us the greatest love.  But imagine a first-time visitor...  Altogether, it was odd.  (But our house probably has some equally weird trappings.)

I'm sure it's Rachel who sings - she looks like a Rachel.  Well, after an hour she psalmed, "I feel like I've been singing all day, Lord.  But I've got a little bit left in the jar, and I'm going to give it to You.  'Cos that's what I want my like to be like, and to be for... You..."  Comparing notes with Steven later, I found they'd been equally engaging in the outdoor scene.  They'd given testimonies standing on planters, and then retired to Starbucks where they'd prayed with folks.  Jesus Army - your anointing's passed on.

I was leading Sunday morning.  In fact I don't need to make that point, because now I always do (well, apart from twice - before the end of July).  I led the pre-teaching worship into "I lean not on my own understanding", and folks 'got it'.  There is hope.  I spent the afternoon re-listening to some of the Burn songs I'd noted.  Stevo kindly explained who Kari Jobe is. 

With meetings in Northamptonshire on Monday, I opted to drive to Kings after our evening bible study and a bite of supper.  The weather didn't look too good (it was -4C next morning, and the canal was frozen when I delivered Faye's present).  Steve looked in good shape.  But the house family were worried about Dave, whose ageing parents are giving him increasing concern, and Mavis, a member in her late 80's, who'd fallen and was in hospital.  It's interesting how mortality and eternity can simultaneously draw close. 



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